Steven Universe in: At Any Price!
by OMAC001
Summary: Following the impromptu baseball game with the Rubies, Steven and company try to get back to routine. Unfortunately, a government organization known as the Earth Defense Initiative calls on the Gems to help them with a little problem. A adventure involving conspiracy and deception will show the Gems just how little they know about the humans they are defending...
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: In the Shadows…

We open to a dark empty space, seemingly endless in size. Then light begin to appear, revealing to be video screens. What was playing on those screens…were various battles the Crystal Gems had gotten themselves into the last few years! Specifically, there was the first fight with the Centipeedle, the struggle with the Watermelon Stevens, two first fight against Lapis Lazuli, and finally the arrival of the Homeworld Gems.(1) At the end of each battle, the screen changed revealing more of a logo: a silver heater shield with a picture of the Earth in the middle with the letters 'EDI' inside the earth, with a motto at the bottom; " _Defenderet terra pretio"_ or (loosely translated) 'Defending the Earth at any price.'

Once the scenes showed only the logo, a woman appeared from the shadows. She had long dark hair with streaks of grey running through it. She wore a combination of a scientist's lab coat and army uniform, including military boots and black gloves. What was most noticeable about her were her light blue eyes, like two shining icicles, beautiful but cold. When she spoke she held a strange accent, like she was born and raised in Germany, but later moved to France long enough for her adopted some of the accent:

"Ladies and gentlemen, greetings. You are no doubt curious as why I have brought you here. If your varied countries' monitoring of the Crystal Gems is up to date, you have no doubt realized the horrible truth: the Gem Homeworld has official made contact with the Earth!"

Allowing the various members of the audience to discuss this fact among themselves for a few moment, the woman then raised her hand to silence the audience, allowing her to continue, "This is a day we have prepared for since the end of the Great War! Unfortunately…those plans allowed for at least another hundred years or so… Thankfully, we have the means to accelerate our preparedness."

One of the men stood from their seat in the shadows speaking with a Chinese accent, "Director, are you speaking of violating the **Rose Accord**?(2)"

The director smirk before responding, "Each member of this Council has at one time or another violated the stipulation preventing the study of Gem technology. We both know the Space Race was in fact a race to access the Lunar Base. So don't act so shocked and appalled that I simply make it…an international effort. Because that's what the **Earth Defense Initiative** is. An international effort to save Earth from total annihilation! We must put aside our difference to work towards the common good!"

The next voice from the shadows was a woman with Arab accent, in a mocking tone, "A bold speech. However, it is well known how much you _**despise**_ the Crystal Gems. Any effort against the Homeworld will require their aid."

The Director glared at the woman before responding, "My _dislike_ of the Crystal Gems comes from the fact that they actively kept device that would improve the state of our world to themselves. However…I will be willing to allow them to assist us because as you can see here… _we_ will be doing the heavy lifting." On the screen appeared the first fight between the fusion Malachite, with Lapis Lazuli assisting in trapping Jasper and herself on the bottom of the see.

"Make no mistake, the Crystal Gems are in no way ready to face the oncoming threat! Something kept the Homeworld Gems away, but that ended when Lapis Lazuli made contact with her home!(3) We must do everything in our power to prepare for this threat."

"Yeah I gotta ask...when are you planning on speaking with the Crystal Gems about our little shindig?" asked a man with Texas accent.(4)

"When it becomes relevant." stated the Director coldly, "I will not go to the Gems like a beggar if I can help it. Besides they still have Peridot and Malachite to find."

"And you're not gonna try and find them?" asked the Texan member of the council.

"You seem to forget how we have been gathering the technology." the Director began to explain, "Thanks to the track device implant in subject **Androcles** during that one hospital stay when he was younger, allows us to locate any Gem sites we missed in our initial search. Then, once the Gems have done whatever it is they need to do, we can go in and-"

"Collect the scraps." remarked the Arabic woman, "In most cases the Gems have initiated some form of self-destruct, leaving very little intact technology."

"While that is true, even the study of the building material has yield extremely useful finds. Also, the Gems don't always pick up after themselves right away. Observe!" exclaimed the Director before activating her Holotool.(5) Then the sound of little footsteps could be heard coming out from the shadows revealing…one of Peridot's Flask Robonoids!

"As you can see, I have not only capture a small number of intact Homeworld tech, but I have found a way to control it! Soon, I will unlock all of its secrets, include the secret behind that Warp Pad repair fluid!" exclaimed the Director excitedly.

"But wouldn't that make capturing Peridot a priority? I mean she has access to a lot of that tech, plus some of the stuff she's been hinting at in the reports have burr in my boot!" explained the Texan representative.

The director ponder a way to respond to this before saying, "Again, standard practice will work. Peridot will open up access to areas the Crystal Gems had no desire or knowledge to reach. This will give us substantial access to new technology! Eventually the Crystal Gems will capture her and Androcles' curiosity will force him to release Peridot, hopeful in a more…helpful state. We'll track the Gems' progress and intervene if necessary."

The Council murmured and discussed among themselves before the Speaker, a British gentleman addressed the Director, "Very well…Director Alena Frankfurt, you have this Council's full support in this endeavor…on the condition that by the end of this year, you make contact with the Crystal Gems to collaborate out efforts. I know you have your…doubts about the Crystal Gems' effectiveness, but they do have the most knowledge of the enemy and their technology. I hope you make the correct decisions. Logging you out."

And with that, the Council disappeared one by one revealing them to have been holographic projections. Once the last of them had left, Director Frankfurt turned back to the screen and opened a screen to a familiar scene. Steven was in the midst of a discussion with his friend Connie. He had been previously deciding to push her away from the dangers of his life. Now, he looked at Connie with tears streaming down his face realizing he couldn't push her away. After that, he sits down to discuss his previous adventure…(6)

Seeing this scene stirred something in Alena's heart…perhaps some motherly instinct making her question the path her life had taken. She quickly shook her head and closed the screen leaving only the logo and motto of her organization. Slowly, Alena traced the last word in the motto ' _pretio_ ' or more loosely translated…' _ **at any price**_ '…

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. I should point out one of my pet peeves of the Steven Universe series: the lack of Human involvement. The Gems seemed to exclude anyone 'not relevant' to the problem, even Greg and Connie. Then I read some of the stories about organizations and militaries showing great valor and assistance and I decided; what if relations didn't start out friendly. I hope I haven't given too much away this chapter, but soon…you will see the strength of Mankind…at its best and its worst. Please read and review!

1 Each of these represents a series of battles in order from the various seasons. You should be able to find clips of them on YouTube. It also helps to give you an idea on when this meeting takes place.

2 Since there was no WWII in Steven universe, I can only assume that Rose Quartz and the Crystal Gems had a hand in the "Treaty of Versailles." Though this also covers a version of the Geneva Conventions as well.

3 I should point out that according to how I have watched the episodes, it is likely Peridot would have come even without Lapis' return to the Homeworld. The Director is assigning blame to Lapis based on what little she knows of the situation.

4 I should probably mention the place I have mentioned for the accents in not canon with Steven Universe. Later, I might assign different names to the places mentioned.

5 Think of it like the Omnitool see in the Mass Effect series.

6 This is a more direct reference to "Full Disclosure" which is where this chapter is taking place. Don't worry, the next will be right after "Hitting the Diamond".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: …Out in the Light

"Log Date 7 17 2: In the aftermath of the encounter with the Ruby Recovery Team, the Crystal Gems have returned to their previous activity of gathering up Corrupted Gems. According to Amethyst, 'it's better to deal with them now then later.' On a lighter note, it seems the impromptu game of 'base ball' has eased much of the tension Lapis Lazuli was feeling previously. She's even helping me with repairing the Barn! I'm also happy to note that repairs to my recording device seems to have come along quite nicely! Today, Steven intends to bring a human friend over to speak with us, a 'Connie'. Hopefully this will prove less…eventful then some of my other first time meetings. Peridot logging out."

With her latest log update finished, Peridot hid the recorded in a loose floorboard in the barn. A bit of a paranoid precaution, but the tape recorder was a gift from Steven after all! Walking towards the entrance to the Barn, Peridot looked over the repairs to the wall she had broken previously. The repairs had started out a little haphazardly at first but with Lapis Lazuli's help things were turning out great! And there was Lapis at the front of the Barn looking…rather glum actually…

"What's got ya down, frowny town?" asked Peridot in a chirper voice. Upon seeing the weird look Lapis was giving her, Peridot explained, "Amethyst has been trying teach to speak in a more Earthly vernacular. Though to reintroduce the question, why do you seem so…gloomy?"

Lapis sighed before deciding to answer her 'barnmate', "Look, the truth is…this isn't the first time I've met one of Steven's human friends. It was when my Gems was cracked and I was trying to get home and I…nearly drown Steven and his friend."

Peridot grimaced, realizing how awkward this meeting might but then realized something, "I am certain Steven has **many** human friends! I mean what are the odds that he would bring the one human you've had a bad experience with?!"

"That's her right there." glumly replied Lapis, point to Steven and Connie coming up the trail to the Barn.

Peridot's face froze in a comically startled expression, before quickly composing herself and saying, "Well…we'll just have to convince this 'Connie' that you're harmless! Okay first thing: try not to use any of you water manipulation abilities in a manner that's aggressive. Second…"

While Peridot was coaching Lapis Lazuli on how to 'appear nonthreatening,' Steven and Connie were having a conversation about the upcoming meeting, "It's really great that you wanna meet them, or you know, re-meet in Lapis' case." stated Steven Universe.

"I'm just glad I get to be back in your life again. I mean it was almost like you were actively avoiding during this whole 'Cluster' stuff." replied Connie.

"Hey, it wasn't like that! Remember, you had school, the Gems had to keep an eye out for the Cluster and Malachite, Peridot was working on the Drill to stop the Cluster…There was really a lot going on. Though I probably should have taken some time to see you. Sorry." answered Steven, turning from chipper to morose.

Connie sensing this, replied, "Relax Steven! I was joking around! Now let's go meet theses 'reformed" Crystal Gems."

Steven laughed lightly, before remembering Connie's last encounter with Lapis Lazuli, decided to ask, "Hey Connie…I know that when you last saw Lapis she tried to…well I just wanna know, are you **really** okay with seeing her?"

Connie looked down on the ground and answered, "I'd be lying if I said I was completely over that. But then I remember she had a crack in her Gem at the time and from what you've told me, those little stones hold _**everything**_ about the Gem in question! She was just lashing out in fear, like a wounded animal. So I think I'll be okay with meeting Lapis. And just to be clear, I've got no problem with meeting Peridot either. Honestly, it might be good to have someone who actually understands what I'm talking about in science!"

Steven laughed at that for a few minutes before realizing she was talking about him and replied, "Hey!"

Just then Peridot leaped in front of them and exclaimed, "Steven! And Connie! So nice to finally get acquainted with you! Come, you must see what Lapis and I have done with our accommodations!" And with that, Peridot rushed back to the Barn leaving the two children to wonder what her game was.

It was Connie who first spoke about the slight strange event, "Do you think Peridot's got some plan to 'make Lapis seem harmless.'"

"I'd have to say it's a definite maybe." replied Steven before the two made their way to the Barn. Apparently, in the time between their last scene and Steven's arrival, Lapis had used her control over the water to create a winter funland look. Snow covered the ground and barn, and Peridot had created 'snow replicas'(1) of the Crystal Gems. All in all, it was an early winter wonderland in Fall!

"Where did she get the idea to make this? I mean Lapis and Peridot haven't even seen winter yet, much less the Holidays!" exclaimed Connie wondering what exactly Peridot was up to.

Fortunately, Steven seemed to have at least some idea of what was going on, "I think she's trying to recreate that Holiday special from 'Camp Pining Hearts.'"

"Really? Peridot watches 'Camp Pining Hearts'? You couldn't have gotten her interesting in something that was less…' _blegh_ '." replied Connie. She was _never_ a fan of that show.

Before Steven could replied, Lapis came out of the Barn…with a slight change to her usual appearance. She was wearing a light blue dress that glistened in the sunlight.(2) Walking out nervously, Lapis came to a stop in front of Connie and Steven who stared at the dress wide-eyed with wonder. Unsure of how to react to the silence, Lapis tried to smile, only her nervousness made it look…weird.

"Pretty great huh?! That dress is _actually made from ice crystals!_ It took a bit of practice but Lapis…um Lapis you can stop 'smiling' now." stated Peridot, causing Lapis to nervously grin instead.

Steven finally mustered up the courage to ask, "So…what exactly is all this about?"

Peridot took Steven to the side of the Barn, leaving Connie and Lapis to talk, and whispered her explanation, "I am aware that Connie might have…difficulty getting along with Lapis. So, I thought a 'friendlier' setting might ease whatever tense was between them."

Steven thought about what Peridot said, and decided she was right, though he had to ask, "Where did you get the dress? I know we don't have anything like it in the Barn."

"Oh, Lapis made that, from ice crystal of all things. You see Lapis never really liked Camp Pining Hearts, so I managed to create a satellite uplink to connect to the human's entertainment network. She saw this movie about a human ice elemental and really liked it! Me…I thought it was a little…" Peridot finished her explanation with non-committal noises.

It was then that Steven notice something **red** 'crawl' on Peridot, "Hey Peridot I think a ladybug is coming to say 'hi'."

Peridot looked at the red dot, trying to swat it aside only to be covered in red dots. "What the-Oh Slag It!" exclaimed Peridot as a group of black armored trooper(3) swarmed over her! Peridot was not one of the physically strongest Gems so there was little that she could do. Steven stood in shock before trying to pull them off Peridot…only to receive a taser in the gut! Collapsing to the ground, the last sight Steven saw was Peridot reaching out to him calling his name…

STEVEN UNIVERSE

Meanwhile, Lapis and Connie were trying to have a conversation. It started with a fumbling attempt by Connie to ask Lapis about the dress. It turned out Lapis was eager to talk about the movie she saw. "I mean, I really could relate to Olsa and her difficulty with her powers, ya know? Peridot wasn't that interesting, but she's so obsessed with that 'Pining Hearts' stuff." explained Lapis.

Connie laughed a little to ease her tension, before looking thoughtfully at the ground. Then gather up her courage, Connie blurted out, "I forgive you, you know that right?"

Lapis was startled before she remembers why she was nervous about Connie's visit, "I honestly could not think of a way you could forgive me. I mean…I almost killed you!"

"You weren't exactly in your right mind at the time! Steven explained to me how important your gemstones are. It would have been like dealing with a human with a severe head injury." calmly retorted Connie.

"I suppose so. Thanks for giving me a second chance." said Lapis. And with that, the pair of social awkward souls gave a nervous smile. Then a clanking could be heard in the snow. The looked down to see…a grenade!

Lapis grabbed Connie and threw her out of the way as the grenade exploded. What they did not see was that unlike a typical grenade, the device released an electrical charge. The charged traveled through the snow, straight to a nearby Lapis, caused Lapis to shudder and ' _poof_ ' into her Gem. Connie got up just in time to see more black-cladded soldiers placing Lapis in a special suitcase.

"We have secured Subjects Aquarius, Icarus, and Androcles. What should we do with the girl?" asked a soldier into his headset as the first group came back with Peridot's Gem and Steven' unconscious body. Desperate for a way out, Connie looked around as the soldier's ignored her. Seeing a farming hoe by the door, Connie rushes over, grabs it, and then swings it down on the soldier holding the suitcase. It struck him in the back of the head, bowling him forward.

Surprised, the soldiers didn't move and even dropped Steven. Connie use this opportunity to grab the case and Steven! Unfortunately, Steven was not a _light weight_ kid and therefore Connie could not run that fast. A female soldier quickly got in front of Connie and perform an uppercut that sent Connie sailing through the air. Upon landing, the dazed Connie was surrounded by the soldiers before the lead soldier said "WAIT! The Doc wants her too. Cuff and put her in the transport."

And with that Connie slid into darkness, with the red eyes of the soldiers following her into sleep…

STEVEN UNIVERSE

 _Unknown location, unknown time later…_

Steven gasped loudly as he woke up. Looking around frantically, all he saw was darkness, while he seemed to be under a spotlight. He tried to stand up…only to realize he was strapped down into a chair! "Peridot…Lapis…CONNIE!" called out Steven in a desperate attempt to find help.

"They cannot hear you at the moment, but do not worry. As long as you and your friends don't…misbehave…there should be no cause for concern." explained a mysterious female voice with an accent from the darkness.

"Who are you? Where am I?!" asked Steven reaching the edge of panic.

Laughing lightly, a female figure stepped forward. She had a dark hair in a practical slick back haircut, wore a lab coat on top of a military jumpsuit, and held a commanding poise. "I am Director Alena Frankfurt and as to _where_ you are…" Alena started to explain before making a dramatic gesture forward. And with that gesture screens of light began to turn on, showing scenes involving the adventures of Steven and the Crystal Gems!

"Welcome to the **Earth Defense Intiative!** "

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Sorry for the delay. Life and such. Hope to get the next chapter out sooner. Please Read and Review!

1 They were more like regular snowmen with Crystal Gem facial features, like Garnet's cube afro and such.

2 Think Elsa's dress in "Frozen"

3 Think the Nanosuit from the "Crysis" series


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two: A History in Shadows

The chair Steven was strapped into released its restraints. Steven rubbed his wrists as he thought about the situations he was in. His visit with Connie to see Lapis and Peridot turned into a kidnapping by what appears to be a group called the Earth Defense Initiative. The Gems may have tried to keep him out of danger but they knew _something_ like this might happened. So Steven decided to take Garnet's advice for a situation like this: stay calm, wait for the Gems…and tried to figure out what was going on. Okay that last one Steven decided for himself but it fit in his mind!

"What's the Earth Defense Initiative?" asked Steven calmly, trying not to show any signs of nervousness.

If Director Alena Frankfurt was nonplussed by Steven's calm, she certainly did not show any signs of it as she answered, "To answer that question, you need to learn a little bit about recent human history…which I know the Gems have neglected." Clapping her hands, the screens disappeared on by one before leaving one big screen, showing a black and white film of a battle that then turned to a conference:

"1935: the end of the Great War!(1) A decades long conflict that engulfed the whole of the world. With final victory going to the recently formed Allied faction, the two sides met in Versailles to create a lasting peace treaty, unlike the yearlong armistices of before. Everyone was weary of war and all its cost…but there were some who desired revenge. Deutschland was the sole remaining Central power left standing, the other countries either dismantled, conquered, or left barely alive.

"Gaule in particular wanted to punish Deutschland for the years of occupation near the middle of the War. Basically, the idea would have been to shove the collective war debt on the surviving country. And who should show up to _save the day_ , your mother…Rose Quartz!"

"My mom?" asked Steven, eager to learn more about his mother. Alena smirked, knowing Steven would be interested in this part:

"Yes, your mother. Normally, the Crystal Gems try to stay out of human affairs, but I suppose they somehow knew that some elements of the Treaty would have led to a new war. In the end, the Versailles Treaty turned into the Rose Accords, which not only create a fair agreement for all the powers, but forbid certain technologies, such as weather control, nuclear weapons, _or even study into the workings of Gem technology!_ Needless to say, not everyone was happy with the Accords…

"But, of course, history showed the treaty was signed and almost immediately afterwards, the Cold War started. But that's enough of general history. As I said before, not everyone was happy with the Accords, so a small groups in each country began studying Gem tech and other forbidden practices. It was at that point they began to learn details about the Crystal Gems that wasn't known to the general public…"

It was at this point Alena walked right up and leaned down to whisper in Steven's ear, "I'm talking, of course, of the Great Diamond Authority."

"So what? I mean, what's so important about that?" asked Steven, worrying about the Director's reaction to the question.

Alena stood up stock still before replying, "It's important…because it shows that they were almost certain to comeback! Every indications show that the leaders of the Gem Homeworld are proud, stubborn, and spiteful! It means that the happy little illusion about our safety was just that…an illusion! We were living on BORROWED TIME!"

Alena started breathing heavy at the exclamation near the end, leaving Steven looking terrified. Calming herself down, Alena smoothed out her hair and continued, "As such, research in Gem technology began in earnest. About…thirty years ago, give or take, these various groups decided to band together, forming closer ties between the nations, to deal with this eventual threat as well as search for more Gem sites on Earth. But then, _**fourteen**_ years ago, an opportune event occurred…"

The pause in the Story gave Steven time to contemplate what she said before realizing what or rather **who** she was talking about, "…Me?"

"Yes, Steven. Your birth gave us quite the opportunity." stated Alena with a smirk before continuing, "A few years later, the Gems and yourself began taking 'fieldtrips' to various Gem sites. After each visit, we were able to go in to each sight (because your visit had disabled any security measure) and collect what data we can. Honestly, it was a mixed bag as I'm sure you remember some of them self-destructed."

Steven honestly felt bad with how many of the palaces he went to seemed to 'blow-up'. It was then Alena put a comforting hand on Steven's shoulder and said, "Don't feel too bad. The wreckage served to help accelerate our research by decades."

"What exactly can you make from rubble in a Gem temple?" asked Steven.

A bright sincere smile spread across the Director's as holo-screens appear all around them, showing designs for bunkers, weapons test on the material and so forth. "Even the smallest piece of rubble or scrap of spaceship debris reveals _so much_ about the Gem specie's technology!" exclaimed Alena.

Steven decided to ask about that 'spaceship debris' part later, though he had a guess.(2) Instead, Steven decided to ask, "Where's Connie, or Lapis, or Peridot?"

Alena seemed almost disappointed before responding, "Connie is in one of our 'guest' quarters under heavy guards. As for the Gems…"

Pushing a button on the hard-light computer on her wrist caused a screen to appear showing Lapis and Peridot in cells surrounded by force-field…familiar looking force-fields. "I managed to reverse-engineer a cell from Peridot's ship. Basically, the Gems are in Gem-proof cells of my own design. Not to worry, I can have them and Connie brought to us if you wish."

Fiddling with her computer, the screen showed the cells lift up towards the ceiling in their rooms. A trapdoor opened in the command room bring the Gems to their level. Meanwhile, Connie was escorted into the room by two guards.(3) The force-field for the cells turned off and the Gems' got into position to attack, before Alena responded, "Now, there's no reason for that-"

"I think we have plenty of reason!" exclaimed Lapis before summoning the nearby water…or trying to, "What?"

"Confused?" asked Alena mockingly, "I deduced that a stronger electromagnetic field could disrupt a Gem's elemental abilities. It seems I was right."

"Steven!" exclaimed Connie before rushing away from her guards towards Steven's side. She tried to pull off the restraints before turning to the Director and demanding, "Release him!"

"All you had to do was ask." replied the Director before snapping her fingers causing the restraints to release Steven, "Now that we've all calm down, I believe it's time I explain why you are here. It boils down to two reasons: one, I intend on explaining a certain…problem I need your help with."

"And what's the second reason?" asked Peridot, feeling that they would learn the second reason first.

A malicious smile spread across Alena's face as she replied, "Oh, I am so glad you asked….IVO!" And with that shout, the screens started disappearing to leave behind one screen. On that screen was a red orb with a line through it. The line vibrated as the system spoke:

"Greetings, I am the Intelligent Virtual Organizer or I.V.O. How may I improve the efficiency of your day?" said the male computer voice in a friendly yet smug tone.

"IVO, I believe the Trials are about to begin." remarked the Director with a grin.

"Ah, you are quite correct Director. My sensors indicate that the Crystal Gems have indeed entered the perimeter. This should be quite…amusing." replied the computer in a nasty tone.

"What's going on?" asked Connie, curious at what the woman and computer were up to.

Alena turned around with a smirk and answered, "You see, the Crystal Gems constantly labor under the assumption of humans being _incapable_ of defending themselves. They're about to be proven wrong…" Just a screen appeared showing Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl jumping a fence is shown. "Ooooh, it's starting! Now, if you would kindly just sit back, the festivities can commence!"

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Took me awhile but I'm finally done with this chapter! A heads-up, the next chapter, and IVO, were inspired by the latest XCOM2 DLC "Shen's Last Gift" and by the 'Portal' videogame series. Hope that wasn't too much of a hint. Anyway, Read and Review!

1 Since apparently, there was no World War 2, I feel that something different must have happened in World War 1. Specifically, make it longer, more violent, and thus more technical innovations. I also added a few things like the occupation of France and Japan joining the Central powers before attacking the US.

2 He's thinking about the Gem Warship that exploded in "Jailbreak" and took a few episodes to clean up. FYI, he's right!

3 Armor looks like the Advent Soldier in "XCOM2"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three: A Trial of Steel and Fire

 _A few minutes after the events at the Barn…_

"Are you sure we shouldn't watch over them? Lapis Lazuli has not always had the…best reaction to new things." asked Pearl, with a nervous look on his face.

"It's important that we **don't** get involved right now." remarked Garnet. The Crystal Gems had long decided to trust in Garnet's 'future vision' but they also learned that it was not 100% perfect. "Don't worry, if something goes wrong we'll be able to see it from here."

Where they are is a hill not too far from the Barn. It still allowed enough cover for some privacy for the residents and the kids, but the Gems could still see if something goes wrong…like if Lapis got violent for some reason. The truth was that between Lapis Lazuli and Peridot, _none_ of the original Crystal Gems fully trusted their reformation. Peridot was an enemy who only helped them for her own sake, while Lapis was a dangerously unstable elemental. This did not mean that there weren't signs of trust, like Lapis holding Jasper down in Malachite for so long or Peridot's show of defiance against Yellow Diamond.

"Yeah, Pearl, relax! Let Steven have some early winter, why don't ya?" exclaimed Amethyst as she made different snow-angels using her shapeshifting power.

"Why did she make this I wonder?" asked Pearl generally curious about the snow. Her time with humans let her know about the _funtimes_ human children had in the snow…despite the risks of pneumonia and frostbite. However, Lapis wouldn't know about these activities…

"It was Peridot's idea." explained Garnet leading Pearl to nod. Pearl knew that Peridot had been trying to expand her knowledge of Earth programming for a while. She must have come across a rerun…

"Hey guys. What's that?" asked Amethyst, pointing towards a noise closing in from the distance. Pearl and Garnet looking towards the direction Amethyst was pointing at seeing a strange aircraft approaching. It had a streamlined, boxy, main body with tilt wings to allow for a vertical landing(1)…at the Barn!

"Let's go." stated Garnet simply before rushing to the Barn, with the other Gems following closely behind. Nearing the speed of sound, the Gems arrived to see the black-suited soldiers loading Steven and Connie onto the aircraft. The suitcase with Peridot and Lapis' gemstones inside had already been loaded, but the Crystal Gems did not know that. Rather than discuss a plan, the Crystal Gems rushed forward, expecting an easy win…

"FLASH STEP!" cried one of the soldiers before throwing a flashbang grenade at the Gems. The grenade erupted in a blinding flash, disorienting Amethyst and Pearl…but not Garnet! Her shades kept out most of the glare and the smoke left over quickly dissipated, not even slowing Garnet down. Unfortunately, the flashbang did not affect the soldiers either.

Two of them brought up strange assault rifles(2) and fired blue tracer-like rounds at Garnet. At first Garnet simply dodged, before one round bounced off her arm causing blue electric sparks and pain…a very _familiar_ pain. Realizing that the other two Gems would be hit next, Garnet leapt in front of Pearl and Amethyst forming a bubble around them. Which is just what the soldiers wanted, because they used the distraction to load up Steven, Connie, and themselves, allowing the aircraft to lift off.

Realizing the soldiers were no longer firing, Garnet dropped the bubble and charged forward with the newly recovered Gems following close behind. Unfortunately, the aircraft activate scramjets, giving it a burst of speed easily out running the Gems. The Gems could only watch helpless as the Soldiers got away with their friends. A tense silence filled the air, only to be broken by Amethyst, "So…what now?"

"We find out where they are heading and get our teammates back." declared Garnet confidently before strangely walking towards a corpse of nearby trees.

"How?! We have no idea who they were and I doubt they will just fly straight to their base!" exclaimed a confused Pearl. The actions of the last few minutes were both frightening and strange to her. Were those people humans, Gems, or something else?!

"We've still got an eyewitness." explained Garnet before thumping a nearby tree causing…Ronaldo Fryman of all people to tumble out of the tree! He came down very ungracefully, in a tangle of surveillance equipment, groaning from the fall.

"Ow! You know there are gentler ways of asking for help, right?" complained Ronaldo, rubbing the aches out of his arms. Garnet simply smirked while Ronaldo stood up.

"How long have you been up there?" asked Pearl, curious as to Ronaldo's behavior. The Gems had long taken to keeping their distance from Ronaldo not only because of his crazy conspiracy theories, but because of the one time he inadvertently kidnapped Steven(3).

Having finally shaken off all the dust and debris, Ronaldo took a dramatic pose and stated, "I was tracking the unusual low pressure zone in this area, thinking it was perhaps the arrival of a Wendigo! …No such luck. But what I did manage to record was this."

After explaining his presences in the area, Ronaldo turn on the video screen for his camera, showing it to the Gems. As the video played, showing the various scenes between Steven, Connie, Peridot, and Lapis in a somewhat unsteady format (no doubt owing to Ronaldo trying to keep steady in the tree), one could hear Ronaldo's commentary on everything, "This is KBCW Video Log July 17, 2014(4), Day One of the Wendigo Hunt! I have track the unusual weather to a small abandoned Barn just outside City limits. I will spend my time in this tree for safety…fear not viewers! I am well stocked for the long wait and…wait what's that?

"Steven! And his little friends…argh I really should learn her name at some point… But what the heck are they doing here?! I should warn them…wait who's that. Video Log notation: there appears to be a small green…a Gem I think…in the area. Must be after the Wendigo…no don't open the Barn! That's the first place a monster would hide! Whoa…she's…beautiful. Ahem, it seems that the Wendigo theory did not pan out, but I should probably learn more about these new Gems while I'm here.

"Looks like Steven and the green one are going off somewhere to talk. Guess I'll focus on the pretty, I mean, blue one for now. She seems to have some control over water…I wonder if she had anything to with the Ocean disappearing? Wait, what's-Agh, my eyes! What the-Oh no, they've found me! Oh man, oh man! Calm down, Ronaldo. You've trained for this. You knew the Government would one day try to shut you down. Just keep calm and-wait one of them is coming here!"

Then Ronaldo's commentary stopped, as he pointed his camera down to a black suited soldier with the futuristic assault rifle walking up to the tree. The soldier look up the tree, seemingly saw nothing and was about to walk back, when the female soldier who knocked out Connie walked over and asked, "Anything?"

"Na, probably just a squirrel. Man, I almost wish we could try out this suit on those Crystal Creeps." stated the male soldier.

"Well, that's not the mission. We grab the kid and the Homeworld Gems and head back to Whitecliff." replied the female soldier. Seeing the lead soldier signaling them back, the two soldier rush back to their group to wait for the aircraft. Turning off the video because the Gems knew the rest of the story, Ronaldo simply stood silent while the Gems mulled over the new info.

"Whitecliff? Ya think they're talking about that airbase up north?(5)" asked Amethyst.

"It would be the closest military airstrip, though I doubt it is final destination. Probably a transfer point." replied Pearl.

"That only means we need to get there fast!" exclaimed Garnet.

"But how?! There's no Warp Pad close to the base and even running will take a few hours!" retorted Pearl.

Garnet had a smirk before replying, "We still have…one other option."

STEVEN UNIVERSE

 _Whitecliff Air Force Base…_

The hum of airplane engines filled the air as each machine was checked and recheck for possible future use. The soldiers patrolled the ground ready to use lethal force in Humvees. The outer perimeter was ringed by an electric fence with motion sensor and cameras. Essentially, sneaking into the base would be impossible for any known human threat. A _nonhuman_ element, however, had yet to be tested…

A shimmering pink portal appeared half a mile away and out of it leapt a certain pink Lion! On his back were the Crystal Gems, Garnet in the front with Pearl in the middle and Amethyst taking up the rear. They quickly jumped off and raced to nearby bushes and hid, but not before Garnet gave Lion a conspiratorial nod. They kept their eyes uncovered to scope out their opposition…and it seemed quite heavy.

"Eh, we can take'em." quietly declared Amethyst mashing one of her fists into her other hand.

Pearl was quick to deflate that idea, "We have no idea if the soldiers at this base are even aware of what happened back at the Barn! It's important we do this as quickly and quietly as we can. Garnet, can you tell where Steven and the others might be?"

Garnet gave a thousand yard stare through the base, trying to 'see' where they might be located. Stopping at a seemingly abandoned hanger, Garnet subtly pointed and stated, "There. Hangar 16."

"Alright. Now how are we going to get in there without-" Pearl started to ask, before alarms began to ring throughout the base. Worried they had been caught, Amethyst and Pearl crouched closer to Garnet, who did not seem rustled by the alarm. The reason why became clear when the guards started running towards the _opposite_ _end of the base!_ Quick to take advantage, the Gems hopped the fence and rushed towards Hangar 16.

Hangar 16 was pretty non-descript even for a military building. A long three story brown box with a sliding front entrance for the airplanes to enter. Garnet pulled open the doors just enough to allow the Gems to enter before closing it behind them. Pearl's gemstone lite up like a head lamp providing light for the room. Now that they were out of any immediate danger, Amethyst had to ask, "Hey, Garnet. Do you know what that alarm was about?"

Garnet smirked slightly before replying, "Lion is attacking the fence at the other side of the base. He'll probably portal out once he has enough attention. Should keep them distracted long enough."

"Well then, let's go find Steven!" quietly exclaimed Pearl, turning the light around to examine the hanger and walking towards the center of the building. There was something strange about the Hanger…there wasn't a speck of dust or loose tools hanging about. Also, they couldn't hear the alarm that was still going off before they entered. Even more surprising, there wasn't a single aircraft in the entire building, despite all the guards outside it previously!

"Man, you'd have to be a neatnik like Pearl for it be this cleeeeeeee-" Amethyst started to quipped before the floor gave out from underneath them. Though surprised by the sudden fall, the Gems recovered quickly allowing themselves a softer landing. Suddenly, massive floodlights lite up, first revealing that the 'floor' had closed up behind them. The new room seemed to be about ten times as big as the hanger they had just left, with strange crisscrossing lines of light creating foot wide squares on the ground and walls.

"Crystal Gems, I would like to welcome you to…the **Proving Ground!** " stated a smug voice over the intercom. Then a holographic orb appeared in front of the Gems, which the voice appeared to come from, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am IVO, the Intelligent Virtual Operator. I will now be in control of all that you see and hear from this point on."

"What is all of this?!" asked Pearl in a demanding tone, Readying her weapon along with the Gems. But rather than be intimidate, IVO seemed only amused.

"Well, it's always good to get the ball rolling. If by 'all of this' you mean the current situation, let me be clear…this was a trap. Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran, Lapis Lazuli, and Peridot were captured to bring you to _this_ specific facility to bring into this room…which is a testing ground for the latest weapons we have created to deal with…your kind. To be honest, I almost did not think it would work, but then again, what I have seen of your activities has left me…numb to disappointment." smugly explained IVO.

"What exactly do you want from us?" asked Garnet frustrated with the run around IVO was putting them through.

"Well, the truth is our organization has accumulated a lot of experiment equipment we don't get a chance to test out. Oh sure, there are the Corrupted Gems, but they lack a certain degree of intelligence to truly test our capabilities. The higher durability does help, but to test the equipment under tactical conditions would far more valuable." explained IVO.

The Crystal Gems glanced between themselves, not truly comfortable being 'guinea pigs.' But seeing no alternative Pearl replied, "Alright, we'll play your game…for now."

"Splendid!" exclaimed IVO before continuing, "Oh, I should explain to you how this will work. The room you are standing in…it a Holo-room, basically it allows us to simulate a large variety of environments. Most of the equipment you will be facing will be unmanned robots _but_ we will be testing our soldiers' weapons and armor too. I'll explain **some** details during the testing…can't give you all our secrets though. The tests will increase in danger the longer they go for, but I'm _sure_ it won't be too much for you. Now then…shall we begin?"

"Let's just get this over with!" groaned Amethyst already tired of the smug computer system.

With a chortle from IVO, the room began to glow. A brief flash of light later and the Gems found themselves…in front of the Barn! "Let's begin. First up, a little bot designed for reconnaissance and harassment…the R.A.T. or Robotic Attack Toy!" announced IVO before unveiling a group of ten tiny robots built somewhat like chickens(6).

Amethyst walked up unafraid of the RATs and declared, "Theses things?! Come on, couldn't you give us something actually dangerAARRGGHH!" Only to be interrupted by one of the RATs trying to bite off her hand with its oversized jaws. Not only did the jaw encapsulate her hand but it bit hard enough to actually hurt! Which means its bite force to tear out light sheets of steel…or gemstones!

As Amethyst thrashed her arm trying to get the RAT to let go, the other Gems brought their weapons to bear while the other RATs shrieked like cat. Rather than attacking the Gems head on, the Rats split up into groups of three and circled around trying to hit the Gems in all directions. Garnet quickly rushed one group hoping to get them before they could react. She managed to get one before the other two bit at her Gauntlets trying to get at her gemstones. Thankfully they were easily taken care with a simple slam into the ground.

Pearl was having better luck with her weapons longer reach able to take out two. Unfortunately, the last the one jumped _onto her glaive and raced down it!_ Soon, Pearl was holding its jaws open to keep it from biting her pearl. Just then two of them were sent flying into the bot, destroying all three. Looking around, Pearl saw Amethyst standing triumphant, as she used the bot that had her hand to smash one of the remaining three and then the other two to free Pearl.

"Well," Pearl stated as she stood and brushed herself off, "that wasn't…too difficult."

"Of course it wasn't!" replied Ivo before appearing before the Gems, "This was just level one. It should be much more difficult one level two." And with that the scenery changed! Now the Gems found themselves standing in the one of old Gem colony ships, specifically one Peridot had used as a trap to kill them(7).

"Now allow me to introduce a true step forward from our dear RATs. The **Gyro Robotic Electric Management, Lead Infiltration Nodes** or GREMLINs for short." introduced IVO, as several flying drones appeared from the ceiling. They had four movable magnetic pads for motion, while still being covered in a smooth silvery armor(8).

"Really?" remarked Amethyst at the long somewhat nonsensical name for the droid.

"Well, the engineers have their hearts set on the acronym… Let's begin!" stated IVO before the GREMLINs started circling the Gems, high in the air. A charge, almost like static electricity, seem to flare on the drones before an arc shot out at the Gems. Quickly the Crystal Gems scattered, not noticing one of the GREMLINs hacking the ships console. Just then, the spike turrets from before appeared from the ceiling shooting down lasers at the Gems!

Pearl quickly spun her Glaive to block some of the lasers before Garnet set up a bubble. While bunkering down under the bubble, Amethyst noticed some reflective tiles. Grinning, Amethyst jumped out of the bubble, grabbed a bunch of tiles and threw them into the air! This caused the lasers to reflect wildly, hitting some of the drones causing them to crash into their comrades and even the control panel for the lasers. In the end only one drone remained and the lasers were out of commission.

Garnet dropped the bubble so Pearl could shoot the remaining drone with energy blasts. Unfortunately the drone was too quick and followed up with an arc of electricity. Amethyst quickly snared the drone with her whip after Pearl dodged and tried to shock the drone in turn. But it simply sent a stronger shock knocking Amethyst back. It did serve to distract the GREMLIN long enough for Garnet to leap up and smash it.

It was at that point IVO appeared to the dazed Gem and declared, "Well done! I mean that quite sincerely, after the last level I did not think you would do so well. But now it's time to bring out the **big guns!** " The chamber began to glow transforming into the Beach City beachside! Just then, seeming phase-shifting through the floor came a massive human-sized orb, with a yellow lens in the center reminiscent of the pupil of an eye(9).

"Allow me to introduce the…well we couldn't think of any clever acronyms for this one, so let's call it the Heavy Sentry. Enjoy your time together!" remarked IVO before disappearing. For a long while the orb just hung there, motionless.

"Uh is it going to do something or…?" asked Amethyst before the eye in the center began to glow a bright red. Instincts took over and the Gems scatter, just in time to avoid the massive particle beam! Pearl threw her Glaive while Garnet launched her Gauntlets…unfortunately, none of the weapons damaged the Sentry though it did knock it back a foot or two.

"What is this thing made out of?!" asked Pearl alarmed at the durability before the Sentry fired off another burst from its ocular offensive lens.

Just then IVO appeared to answer Pearl's question, "It was surprising easy to replicate and innovate the hull of that Gem Warship. And before you say anything let me blunt…you barely got two-thirds of it in your Temple. Anyway, Sentry…I think it's time for Anti-Infantry Mode."

Responding to IVO's orders, the top half split open revealing tentacles and a strange crystal dome. The dome began to emit a strange energy causing the Gems' forms to flicker and them to wither in pain. The tentacles also grabbed the Crystal Gems, restraining them. The pain made it hard for the Gems to think until Pearl realized the 'flicker' freed her arm with the Glaive. Throwing it at the dome, the Glaive puncture straight through, hitting the power core.

Dropping the Gems, the Sentry violently sputtered releasing smoke and sparks. In what seemed like a final desperate gambit, the Sentry rushed forward, trying to take the Gems with it. Garnet launched her Gauntlets to push the Sentry off balance, keeping the kamikaze drone away from the Gems. Which turned out to be a good idea, as the robot exploded with the force of a half-ton of TNT. The Proving Grounds holographics flickered and died with the explosion.

"NONONONO! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT WILL COST TO REPAIR THIS?!" exclaimed IVO, before calming down, "Alright forget the holograms! Your next opponent will be-"

"That's enough IVO!" exclaimed a female voice over the intercom, "I think the Gems have learn enough of our capabilities, don't you?"

"But they didn't even get to fight my favorite one!" whined IVO sounding like a disappointed child. The Gems looked on awkwardly.

"I've told you before, we have to work with them…for now." stated the female voice, rather ominously. Just then a door opened up leading deeper into the base. The Crystal Gems looked to each other before Garnet nodded and stepped through the door, followed by Amethyst and Pearl. The door closed behind them, as if they never existed…

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Few! This is one of my longest chapters yet! I just wanted to introduce EDI capabilities before the Gems "help them" on the next mission. Hope it wasn't too hard to follow. As always Read and Review.

1 The aircraft is based off the Skyranger design seen in "XCOM2".

2 Think Mag-Rifles from "XCOM2"

3 I am specifically referencing the episode "Keep Beach City Weird"

4 My interpretation on Steven Universe timeline, including the idea of Steven being born in 2000 and him being canonical 14 years old.

5 Whitecliff is my name for Dover Air Force Base and the town it is near. Whitecliff specifically is an alternate name for Dover in my mind. You know "White Cliffs of Dover"

6 Looking like the Mousers from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fame.

7 This is from the episode "Friend Ship"

8 Based on the GREMLINs seen in "XCOM2" specifically the Mark 3 model. I made up the acronym, they never gave one in the game.

9 Based on the Gatekeeper enemy in "XCOM2"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Four: Reluctant Request

As the Crystal Gems walked through the doorway, they could notice a stark contrast between the previous room and the hallway. Whereas the previous room was smooth and futuristic, the hallway seemed to have exposed piping and black steel plates everywhere. Slowly the Gems moved forward, just in case there were some traps set up. Finally they reached the door at the end of the hallway, a large steel door which slide into the ceiling. And on the other side of that door was…

"STEVEN!" exclaimed the Crystal Gems, rushing forward to embrace their missing ward. Steven expected the hug with a laugh, before hearing the sound of snapping fingers. Alena, looking annoyed, was attempting to get their attention.

"If you are done with your little Hallmark moment, I think it is important we get back to the issues at hand." remarked the Director. In response, the Crystal Gems dropped into battle stances, which Alena just waved off, "There really is no need for that…I will explain:

"My name is Alena Frankfurt, Director of the Earth Defense Initiative. My organization was created for the purposes of dealing with threats…outside the normal purview of the world's municipal and military institutions. Basically, extraterrestrial life! The current issue is one that you are all familiar with: the Great Diamond Authority."

This got the Crystal Gems' attention causing them to relax their battle stances. Smirking, Alena continued to explain, "Recently, there has been a rise in not just Corrupted Gem behavior but Homeworld visitation. Culminating in the little business outside of Beach City almost a year ago." And with that, a holo-screen showing both the landing and crashing of the Gem Warship appear in front of the Crystal Gems.

"Wait, wait. Stop. You're telling me you built _all of this_ since P-dot showed up on Earth?!" asked Amethyst, alarmed at the speed that this organization was put together.

Alena looked puzzled before laughing at Amethyst's question. Calming down, Alena explained, "No, no, no. My group has been in existence for roughly **fifty years!** I meant that we have recently got more funding and personal because of the…incident. We still were quite busy before then: studying Gem sites, collecting artifacts, dealing with Corrupted Gems. Really not much different from what you Crystal Gems were doing."

"There are treaties in place listing what the Crystal Gems duties are and what needs to be done in order to fulfill them." stated Garnet through clenched teeth. The truth was, she was more angry at not be able to 'see' this organization formation then anything.

"Ah yes. _The Rose Accords_. Sorry to be the one to tell, but **not one country** kept to the Accords within the first year of its signing! Truly, the League of Nations **allowed you** to walk across their soil unopposed, but that was more to deal with Corrupted Gems. My group, however, was built with the inevitable Homeworld invasion in mind." explained Alena in a rather superior tone.

"Not that this isn't a _fascinating_ look into human culture…but I think you should tell us why you brought us here." stated Peridot, hoping to keep the conversation from escalating into violence.

Adjusting her spectacles, Alena pushed a button on her wrist revealing the image of a _**very familiar face**_. "I believe you know the individual in question." stated the Director simply.

"JASPER!" exclaimed in various tone from the assorted group, other than Connie. The viscous orange Gem had left a large impression on the group though none more so than Steven, Garnet, and Lapis Lazuli. Jasper seem to have a maniacal focus on destroying Steven, confusing him with his mother 'Rose Quartz'. Garnet, in their first encounter, was handed a swift defeat and defusing,

Though they eventually pay Jasper back in kind. Lapis, however, was the most tragic…

Lapis had been forced to fuse herself with Jasper in order to keep her from hurting Steven. Months spent beneath the ocean keeping that… _thing_ locked down was an enormous physical and mental strain. Even months after finally defusing, Lapis still had problems being around the water. More disturbing than that, despite the pain and horror…there were times when Lapis **missed** the experience!(1)

"Yes, I assumed that you were familiar with the Gem in question." smugly replied Alena to the groups outburst, "As you can see from the footage, not long after her defusing, Jasper broke into a top-secret facility. What was the facility's purpose? Why to create weapons designed to help humanity in the fight against Homeworld! I won't bore you with the particulars, but sufficed to say, the United States military would be salivating at the possibilities!"

"So…you brought us here to help you deal with Jasper." stated Garnet finally understanding Alena's motives for bring them here. What little contact Garnet had with the Director revealed that she did not _want_ the Gems to help out. Of course given what weapons they had already seen, it was definitely not safe to let Jasper get her hands on anything big.

"You each have skills that would be useful in the upcoming mission." stated the Director before standing in front of Peridot, "Peridot's technical training will allow you to hack into the security systems. Amethyst's shapeshifting should help her get through some of the traps set up. Pearl's dodging ability and additional technical skills will be useful. Garnet's future vision and great physical prowess will also be needed.

"However, you two have the most important parts to the mission." stated Alena, stopping in front of both Steven and Lapis, "Steven; because Jasper views you as a different form of 'Rose Quartz' you will be able to, given the proper incentive, fall for an feint or trap you are involved with. If necessary, Connie can be brought in to allow you to become Stevonnie. As for you Lapis, given the submersible state of the base, you'll be key for not only sneaking the group in, but also distracting any outer defenses under Jasper's control."

"Wait, submersible? Where exactly are we headed?" asked Connie curious as to where they are going. Just then, a hologram of a massive manta ray shaped ship, with a massive mouth-shaped hangar appears in front of them.

"Behold! The XSS Triton! The first submersible battleship-carrier ever in existences!" exclaimed the Director before explaining further, "It was supposed to be a mobile base of operation for our forces, able to go anywhere touched by the oceans. I currently carriers some of the most advance robotic units operated by one of the most advance AI systems in the world, next to IVO of course."

"Anyway, you could give us an idea of the security systems?" asked Peridot, before Amethyst interrupted.

"Wait better question: how the heck did _**Jasper**_ get control of _this?!_ She's a warrior Gem, she's more into punching everything in front of her. I mean Peri could probably takeover that, but not Jasper!" exclaimed Amethyst truly confused by this turn of events, not noticing Peridot's blush.

"Truthfully, Jasper hasn't really 'taken control' of anything. Her attack simply switched the Triton to defense mode. It was designed in case of a prolonged Gem attack to prevent reinforcements from getting in while the defenses take care of the intruding Gems. Unfortunately…" Alena started to explain before trailing off embarrassingly.

"You never installed a 'friend or foe'' function of this defense mode, did you?" finished Pearl seeing where this was going.

"It was a simple mistake! We were actually set to install it when Jasper attacked!" exclaimed Alena before continuing, "Thankfully, once you get inside, the AI system will be able to aid you. Of course, Lapis will have to stay outside in order to keep the defenses focused on her."

"Are we even sure Jasper is still…?" asked Pearl, hesitant to imply shattering in front of the children.

"Amazingly, she is still alive. I'm rather impressed with her resilience and resourcefulness. I'm hopeful the AI's partial control over the defense can give you a hand in that regard." said Alena.

"Why does the AI only have partial control? I would think the point would be for it to run all the minutiae of running the ship." asked Peridot. You see, one technologies Homeworld avoided was Artificial Intelligence despite her seeing it as a good way to improve efficiency. Something about the idea of 'AI rebellion'…

"I don't know what experience Gems have with AI systems, but I've found they develop much like children. So in a sense it's safest to limit their responsibilities until it is seen that they have both the capacity _and_ the personal sense of responsibility to handle higher tasks. Right now, the AI aboard the Triton is in charge of basic internal security and functions." explained the Director.

Waiting for a moment for the Gems to process this information, the Director decided to add, "I should also mention that there _may_ be Corrupted Gems either onboard or around the Triton."

"WHAT! Why in the world would you have Corrupted Gems?!" exclaimed Garnet furious at this new development.

"Simple. I need Gems to test my weapons systems on and you can only capture so many Gems. Don't worry there is no shattering involved…" Alena quickly corrected.

"There had better not have been!" retorted Garnet, not believing the Director for a minute.

"The point is that you will be facing Corrupted Gems along with Jasper and the automated security system. Still from what I've learn of your abilities, your combine skills _should_ keep you intact." replied Alena, "Well that should be everything…Oh there is one last thing. The last known trajectory has the Triton heading towards Beach City."

The Gems, Steven, and Connie were horrified by this latest piece of information. A stealthy death machine was about to collide with their hometown…and Jaspers at the wheel! There was no choice…whatever misgivings the Gems had about Alena would have to wait. They looked towards Peridot and Lapis who nodded their heads in agreement, understanding the seriousness of the situation. So with that, Garnet only had to ask:

"So…what's the plan…Director?"

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. This is a slightly shorted intermission chapter before we head to the Triton. I should probably note how the Summer of Steven has blown a lot of my plans out of the water, specifically involving Jasper. So this will be AU, although I will keep some details like the stuff involving Yellow Diamond. I'll explain more as I write. Any, please Read and Review!

1 Spoiler alert: this little factoid comes out in the episode 'Alone at Sea' which is technically way ahead of this stories canon.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Five: Underwater Usurpation

We see the serene scene of the oceans from underwater. The fish swim, the seaweed and kelp sway in the currents, and the sunlight stream from the surface. This serenity continued…until a large pink bubble swerved through the kelp. The Crystal Gems, Steven, and Connie were in a bubble created by Steven while Lapis was pushing it through the water. The team was stoic as they closed in on the XSS Triton, going over the plan in their minds…

 _Flashback…_

 _"Your entry point will be…here!" explained Alena pointing to the bottom of a hologram of the XSS Triton, "There should be a small breach in the hull at this area. It's how Jasper manage to make her way onto the vessel."_

 _"Should be easy to find then. Jasper was never very subtle." remarked Peridot, remembering Jasper's behavior on the way to Earth._

 _"I still fail to see why it is necessary to bring Steven and Connie along. There's too much that could go wrong!" worried Pearl._

 _"As I have said before, Steven is a distraction for Jasper. She seems to have some…issues with Rose Quartz which she has transferred onto Steven. It unbalances her, thus making her more vulnerable. Connie is coming because their fusion, Stevonnie, would have a better chance in a fight with her." explained Alena will pinching her nose in frustration at Pearl's nagging worries, before continuing._

 _"Now, as I have said before, Lapis need to distract the outer defenses. This includes sonic shatter cannons and pulse wave torpedoes. This will keep internal security from discovering you hopefully long enough for Peridot to reach a computer terminal. I assume you have been able to acclimate Peridot to human computer tech?" asked Alena._

 _"Please! While I'll admit that some of Earth's tech is frustratingly primitive, my_ _ **vast**_ _technical expertise will-"Peridot began to brag before Alena pointed her swagger stick at Peridot's face._

 _"DO. NOT. BE. ARROGANT. Even with my password, one wrong move and the AI core could simply decide to scuttle the ship…with you in it. Besides, it was the_ _ **primitive**_ _nature of our technology I was counting on when building the internal defenses. Every hallway, every room, has at least one set of devices to trap, shatter, and/or disrupt any Gem trying to take over my facility. It is a masterwork!" exclaimed Alena._

 _"And yet, Jasper seemed just bash right through…" sardonically replied Lapis. Though she was nervous about the mission, she was trying her best to hide it behind sarcasm._

 _"Yes, well, most of the defense were designed around a more_ _subtle_ _invasion attempt. Now, we to move onto the potential released Corrupted Gems. Fortunately, there should only be about four to five Corrupted Gems on the Triton at the moment. We'll go over each of them and their strengths and weaknesses." explained before revealing a set of five photos feature the Corrupted Gems, starting with a dark blue one that looks like a long serpentine fish with the Gem on its tongue._

 _"This one is nicknamed by the staff Big Blue. It's the most likely one to escape into the water so keep an eye out on your approach…"_

Present…

It was just as they were remembering that conversation that 'Big Blue' appeared right in front of them! The creature roared before Lapis grabbed it with the water around it and 'poofed' it nearly instantly. What would have potentially been an hour long fight with the original Crystal Gems took only a few agonizing seconds. Steven Quickly bubbled Big Blue and sent him to the Temple. The Gems quickly floated closer to the Triton, just starting to come into view…

 _Flashback…_

 _"Next, we have Slimy Ivan." stated Alena, pointing to a picture of a green Corrupted Gem taking the form of a slimy cube, "It moves with the speed of a slug, but as you can see the Gem is in the center of the mass, softening any physical attacks. It also doesn't help that the slime is corrosive."_

" _Next is a tricky little one called the Road Hopper." Alena stated while pointing to a two legged light blue Gem with three tongues sticking out(1), "The main skill of this one is its speed and its wily nature. This thing turned many of our traps against us before we eventually caught it…after two weeks of effort. Also it has been known to move so fast as to scale sheer surfaces."_

" _And finally, we have the Red Menace!" exclaimed Alena, pointing to a picture of a dark red scorpion like Gem before explaining, "This thing's armor was near impenetrable to anything short of_ _ **battleship grade shells!**_ _The fact that it was attacking a naval yard gave us the ammunition need, thankfully. My advice…avoid until the mission is over."_

" _Alright, I think we've covered just about everything…" stated Alena as she was wrapping up._

" _What about Jasper?" asked Steven bringing up what was perhaps the most important point of the mission ahead._

 _Alena lower her head, perhaps in fear and shame, before answering, "Looked you haven't seen the footage of the break in, but Jasper was able to shrug-off every weapon designed to 'poof' you! Every trap, every robot, every weapon, all they ever did was annoy her! I did some research at her origins at the Beta Kindergarten-"_

" _Wait, what?!" exclaimed Steven, because this was the first time he had heard of Jasper's Earthly origins(2). Steven looked around and saw the same surprise on Amethyst's and Lapis' face…though strangely not on any of the other Gems' faces. "Wait, did you guys know about this and not tell me?!"_

" _Peridot gave us some more…in-depth details about Jasper's origins after we dealt with the Cluster." explained Garnet._

" _To be honest, I believe I met her once or twice during the Rebellion while fighting alongside your mother. It was just…so long ago." Pearl stated with a reluctant tone._

" _Of course I knew Jasper was from the Beta Kindergarten! But that means there's less to worry about! Everything about that place was slap together and hastily made. I'm sure if we went there and looked, we could find Jasper's hole and it would ease a lot of your worries." explained Peridot._

 _Just then, Alena brought up detailed photos of Jasper's hole in Beta. Surprised, Peridot responded, "Oh, well thank you. I know those looks but we already knew Jasper was big! The important details are how straight a Gem comes out and the smoothness of the exit. Let's see…oh these are very high quality photos…I'd have to check back on these measurements in person…hmmm."_

" _Well?" asked Amethyst, a little anxious ever since finding out Jasper was from Earth._

 _Peridot looks up from the data with a startled look on her face and said, "Well, I can't be sure about the accuracy of these photos and I'd have to get to Beta to be certain but…that is by far the most perfect exit hole I have ever seen!"_

" _What does that mean though?" asked Connie, not sure of the importance of this information._

 _Alena stepped forward and replied, "It means that Jasper is the perfect example of a Quartz soldier. Tough, powerful, unrelenting, loyalty to her Diamond unto death. I don't believe any of you, short of Fusions, have the skills or abilities to take her down. And the place you are going to will make such a tactic unwise. None of your Fusions, save Stevonnie and perhaps Opal, will be able to maneuver in those tight corridors and rooms. Thankfully, you have OMNI…"_

 _More holograms appeared, depicting computers, turrets, and robots before Alena continued, "OMNI is the AI control the security systems on the ship. It stands for_ _ **Onboard Military Network Intelligence**_ _, but you can just call him OMNI for short. With his help you can organize the remaining defenses against Jasper and the Corrupted Gems. If worse comes to worse you can unleash this:_

" _The Omnidroid(3) Mark 10! The deadliest machine I have ever created! Armed with plasma disruptors and smart bombs, this murder machine is coated in a special plasteel alloy that's as strong, if not stronger than the Gem Warship Peridot and Japer arrived in. The only catch is that Omni needs to be downloaded directly into it, leaving the ship's systems vulnerable to a cyberattack. Though I doubt your opponents have the capacity to perform said attack._

" _Now then:_ _ **shall we**_ _ **begin?**_ _"_

Present…

Slowly, the group glided through the water, until they reached…the _XSS Triton!_ Larger than any submarine, the manta ray shaped vessel measured a length of over one thousand five hundred meters with a width of two thousand three hundred meters at least. It shined a metallic black against the deep blue of the ocean. The surface appeared unmarred, yet the group knew that hidden hatches containing deadly weapons were ready to spring out. The group made their way to the underbelly, where the first imperfection could be seen…

A massive hole had been gouged into the hull, no doubt by Jasper. Lapis pressed Steven's bubble against the hull, allowing him to make a small opening to allow them in. Strangely enough, none of the water seemed to have gotten in, which should be impossible at the current water pressures…With just Steven and Lapis left in the bubble, a turret popped out and fired at them with a stream of sonic energy. Seeing this, Lapis pushed into the ship will the shot popped the bubble and pushed Lapis back from the ship!

"Lapis!" exclaimed Steven, rushing towards the hole, only to find a pinkish barrier covering the hole.

Peridot studied the barrier, touching a few times before giving an explanation, "Fascinating! It seems that the Director must have study Steven's bubbles and created a water-tight shielding mechanism for the ship! That explains why this room isn't flooded and why Steven was able to get us in!"

"Hold on Lapis! I'm gonna-" Steven exclaimed before being pulled back by Pearl.

"Steven you can possibly stretch your bubble far enough to reach her! Lapis is supposed to remain outside, remember? Look she's in her element, I doubt there's anything this ship could use to truly hurt her!" explained Pearl confident…until she saw some squid like robots(4) able to chase Lapis despite her attempting to crush them with her water.

"We need to focus on Jasper. This might be our only chance to catch her off-guard. Then we can figure out what to do with…the EDI." stated Garnet firmly. Steven eventually conceded the point. The truth is, none of the Gems were really comfortable with the idea of Alena and the EDI. The reasons ranged from the original mission to protect humanity from the Homeworld to the rather violent introduction they were given by the enigmatic director.

Quickly, the group made their way to a computer console on the other side of the room. Peridot, using her new _enhanced_ tablet, began accessing the network, "There we go…now I just need to write in the password…hey Pearl, I'm not familiar with all the Earth's various languages but, what does ' _Schadenfreude_ ' mean?"

Pearl was about to answer, when the computer screen began to light up. On the screen was a smiling face icon which wiggled as the voice spoke in an outspoken, seemingly friendly voice, "Hello! I am the **Onboard Military Network Intelligence** , but you can just call me OMNI! Because OMNI sees all, and knows all! For example, my scanners indicate that you are not Alena Frankfurt, Director of the Earth Defense Initiative! Please explain yourselves or I will be forced to use these lasers which will simulate the surface of the Sun!"

And with that laser dishes appeared from the ceiling pointing at group as the Gems (minus Peridot) entered defensive positions. OMNI decided to add more at this point, "You have thirty seconds to comply with my request! And have a nice day!"

"WAIT! She sent us here to get rid of Jasper! Just help us out and we'll be outta here in no time!" exclaimed Steven trying to reason with the machine. A tense second followed before the laser dishes retreated into the ceiling.

"My sensors **do** indicate that Jasper is in the facility and several of the subjects have gotten loose! Tell you what, if Peridot can give me total control and access to the Omnidroid, I'll be able to help against Jasper! Until then, I'll lead the rest of you to Jasper!" explained OMNI in the same tone as before.

"And what about Lapis?" asked Peridot nervous about her roommate.

"Once OMNI is all, I'll be able to turn off the outer defenses and let Lapis in! More help to deal with Jasper!" exclaimed OMNI. The group huddled up and discussed OMNI's proposal. It was similar to Alena's suggestion and it gave them a number of advantages. Yet something still felt dangerous about the suggestion…

Finally Garnet lifted her head and declared to OMNI, "Alright, but no funny business."

OMNI seemed genuinely happy when he stated, "Wonderful! You will not regret this! After all, OMNI is all, including honest!"

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Hope that was a good start for the mission! This week has been tough with one of our horses having to be put to sleep. I'm still trucking along of course. As always, Read and Review!

1 This is directly referenced to "The Kindergarten Kid." Probably one of my favorite Corrupted Gems

2 This is referenced in the episode "Beta".

3 As seen in the Disney Pixar movie "The Incredibles"

4 Based on the 'Seeker' enemy in "XCOM: Enemy Within"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Six: OMNIous Operation

 _On Route to Main Hangar…_

The group now made up of Steven, Connie, Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst sneaked their way through the corridors. After their first meeting with OMNI, it was decided that Peridot need to get to the main computer core on her own, with OMNI accompanying her. As an AI, OMNI could split focus between the two groups while still keeping track of Jasper, who was apparently making her way to the mini sub hangar with one of the Corrupted Gems. Jasper had also stop off in front of one of the armories scatter around the ship, so…

"Hey, how come it doesn't look like any of the human crew fought back? I mean, there's been almost no damage since the hole Jasper made." asked Amethyst, curious of the pristine conditions of the hallways.

"Oh, I was quick to evacuate the human crewmen! They were mostly scientists and technicians! Jasper would have torn them **limb from limb!** " exclaimed OMNI(1). Despite OMNI's assurances, the Gems could not help but wonder about the fate of the crew. It seemed impossible that all of the humans escaped the wrath of Jasper.

"Well anyway, we need to get into position. By the by, how large it this hanger that Jasper is heading towards?" asked Pearl, trying to see if they have the option to fuse in the fight.

"I can already calculate the options but the only Fusions available in that setting would be: Opal, Stevonnie, Sardonyx, and possibly Alexandrite if she were to crouch! You'd be short your heavy hitters of that selection! Thankfully, my Omnidroid will MORE than make up for it!" explained Omni.

"Well, until Peridot can give you access to it, what else can you give us in the fight?" asked Pearl, a little tired about hearing about the Omnidroid.

Just then several doorways opened up in the hallway in front of them, and out of each one stepped a ten-foot robot! Each of the robots carried a huge rifle like gun, with digitigrade legs, three fingered hands, white colored bodies and faceless heads.(2) They each lifted their 'rifles' into ready position before standing straight before the Gems.

"Allow me to introduce: the Sentinels! Each of these bots were designed specifically to fight Gems in both ranged and physical combat! Armed with the MAG Heavy Rifle with disruptor ammunition and an Omniblade in each hand, these bad boys are ready to take on any Gem threat!" explained OMNI, in the tone of a commercial.

"Are we…really doing this? Not that I'm doubting the effectiveness of your forces, but…" stated Pearl skeptically.

"We need every advantage against Jasper. Though it might be good to test them out on something…else." said Garnet, sharing some of Pearl's skepticism.

"We're in luck! It looks like two of the escaped subjects, Slimy Ivan and Road Hopper, are just beyond those doors! The perfect test for Sentinels!" declared OMNI. The Gems decided to go with OMNI's idea. Hopefully Peridot can get to the computer core soon…

 _On route to the Main AI Hub…_

Peridot was for once glad for her newly diminished stature! With her lack of shapeshifting abilities, it would have been impossible to sneak through the air ducts towards the AI Hub. Why go through the air ducts rather than walk the hallway, you ask? Because of the various sensors and defense systems in place around the Hub, and all designed around detecting and destroying Gems! OMNI had been kind enough to inform her of these systems, which were apparently not under the AI's direct control, so sneaking around them was the quickest route.

Unfortunately, as Peridot found the moment she left the air duct, the method did not bypass _all_ of the security systems. According to OMNI, the final corridor was 'a massive microwave oven of death!' Gems in general had a much higher tolerance of radiation than humans, however, OMNI had foretold levels rivaling those found in a nuclear reactor! Of course, it could be temporarily bypassed with the right password.

The way the system worked was at the entrance, if you used the right password, you would get a steady buildup which became lethal to humans in about five minutes, and lethal to Gems in about seven. If you use the wrong password or simply walked in, the door slammed shut and locked, with the levels going automatically to Gem-lethal in about less than a minute. The time difference would allow you the chance to type in the _second_ password at the final entrance!

Peridot cautiously walked up to the touchpad, as if it was radioactive, while muttering, "Alright, just need to guess the right password…in a local dialect I barely know. Slag it! Why couldn't OMNI know at least the first password?! …It's okay, it's okay. After translating the last word, I think I have an idea of what passwords she uses…right?"

Peridot slowly moved her finger forward, shakily. Eventually, Peridot was able to type the first password: **HASS**. The door opened and Peridot rushed down the corridor. The door had not closed so that was a good sign. The corridor turned out to be about thirty feet long, meaning it took two minutes for Peridot. Thus Peridot had three minutes to figure out the next password.

"Okay, Alena has a dislike for the Crystal Gems. Maybe that has something to do with the password." stated Peridot as looked up the possible password. When she learned that passwords would be Deutchen(3), Peridot downloads a English to Deutchen translator app on the Tablet Steven had given her previously at Funland.(4)

"Let's see…'parasite.' Really?! THREE different words?! Okay, just need to think: Alena's a scientist. Which word would grab her the most?" asked Peridot quietly to avoid any possible sound sensors. And so, ever so carefully, Peridot typed in the word: **PARASIT**. …Which turned out to be correct!

"YES!" exclaimed Peridot before walking through the open doorway. Inside was a massive computer system, including several hard-light keyboards that activated as soon as the doorway opened. Peridot connected her tablet to the computer via a USB port. Typing furiously on the tablet, Peridot began the long work of releasing OMNI from his restrictions…

 _On route to the Main Hangar…_

Amethyst was dragged behind Road Hopper by her whip, while the Sentinels shot at her! Meanwhile, Garnet stuck a live electrical wire into Slimy Ivan, causing it to poof back into its Gem. Pearl was shooting at some automated turrets while Steven was shielding her from the electrical blasts. Suddenly, Amethyst wrapped a _second_ whip around a column, jerking Road Hopper to stop while the Sentinels were finally able to hit it with their shots causing it to poof. Garnet and Amethyst then bubbled their respective Gems and sent them home.

All in all, the fighting was fairly light! They only lost two Sentinels to the battle and the most annoying feature were the turrets. Utilizing the same electrical weapon as the GREMLINs the Gems had faced previously. In other words, powerful enough to 'poof' in a single hit and not needing to hit the Gems directly to cause damage. Thankfully, Steven's shield turned out to be nonconductive, making it perfect for the Gems to hide beneath it and leave the corridor with the Sentinels.

"Well…that was…annoying." declared Pearl exasperated. Glancing at the door to the main hangar, Pearl turned back to the group and stated, "Alright, now that we have a moment, we need to think up a strategy on how to deal with Jasper."

"Easy, we go in, kick her butt and leave. Why do we need anything other than that!" exclaimed Amethyst.

"This isn't like fighting a monster or Peridot! Jasper is a trained Quartz soldier! Need I remind you that last time we actually fought her, she fought on an equal footing with Garnet! If we're not careful, some of us might not survive this encounter." exclaimed Pearl in response to Amethyst's lackadaisical approach to the mission.

Before the argument could escalate, Garnet cut in with her idea, "We shall send in the Sentinels first. Connie can access their visual data with her cellphone with some help from OMNI. They'll take the brunt of any trap Jasper sets up and if necessary, be cannon fodder for any assault."

"I would be glad to help Connie in this endeavor! Aaaannnndddd…there! Now you'll be able to see what the Sentinels see!" stated OMNI in his normal chipper tone. With that, the Sentinels went single file through the door. Meanwhile, the Gems and Steven crowded around Connie to see the footage…

 _Inside the main hangar bay…_

The Sentinels went through the door single file, before breaking for cover. The hanger bay was _trashed_ ; every vehicle, either plane or sub, was smashed opened and ripped for parts. There were scattered pieces of robot everywhere across the three hundred by two hundred by four hundred-yard area! And to top the devastating landscape, a hissing roar issued across the bay every few moments. Followed by a thumping sound, like a battle was still going on…

The Sentinels cautiously maneuvered threw the wreckage, doing a surprisingly good job of staying hidden. As they got closer to the battle, the previously unheard groans and battle-cries of Jasper could be heard. As they got closer still, they began to make-out some of what Jasper was saying, "Come on...Faster…Deal with those…Stupid Rose…"

Finally, the war machines made it to the site of the battle and witness the fight in all its terrible glory! There was Jasper massive and powerful, but seemingly insignificant against her opponent… **Red Menace!** A massive scorpion-like beast, Red Menace had _three_ stinging tails capable of punching through tank armor at the speed of a cobra strike. Not to mention its massive frontal claws can cut through anything it can grab onto. Jasper, however, used her spin-dash attacks to not only stay out of range and avoid the tails, but to deliver punishing blows on the monster. The Sentinels calmly positioned themselves to finish off the victor of the fight…

Jasper looked up, seeing a fighter-craft still in its moorings. Spin-dashing towards it, Jasper knocks the fighter out of its moorings, causing it to fall right on Red Menace in a terrific explosion. Needless to say, this caused the monster to 'poof' into its Gem. Jasper quickly collected the Gem and put it in some hidden pocket on her body. Seeing the fight's end, the Sentinels opened fire with their MAG guns and Mini-Missiles!

A few of the MAG shots made contact, but before the Mini-Missiles could reach their target, Jasper leapt backwards. The brief smokescreen caused the Sentinels to hold their fire. Scanning, the Sentinels found that Jasper had seemingly disappeared! A deep laughter rang through the air, before Jasper began to mock, "Always with the **stupid** _little_ _**toys!**_ You humans are so… _pathetic!_ How you even crawled outta of the mud truly leaves me baffled! All of this…for you! Rose truly has fallen to need help from an inferior species like you!"

After her little speech, Jasper spin-dashed into the lead Sentinel, knocking it into a wall. The rest were quick to recover, with one of them landing a blow sending Jasper into the other wall. This was followed up by a barrage of Missiles and MAG shot, allowing the leader to rise to its feet. Jasper spin-dashes again, only this time, the leader catches her and pile-drives her into the ground! Jasper then grabs the arm and tries to throw and/or crush the bot, only he seemed to be able to counter all her moves. The rest of the Sentinels watched, looking for a moment to assist.

What Jasper and the Crystal Gems had not known up until that point, was that Alena had program every form of martial arts and fighting into her robots. Thus the Sentinel knew the right wrestling moves to hold Jasper and because of its industrial strength, had a better time than a human holding her. Unfortunately, because Jasper was actually a living hologram with mass, she could twist her limbs in ways a normal human couldn't. Face with the possibility of Jasper's escape, the Sentinel started glowing red, signaling that it had activate 'Suicide Mode' a self-sacrifice mode designed to take out an enemy at the cost of a single Sentinel.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The explosive force of a hundred pound bomb erupted from the Sentinel sending shrapnel flying everywhere! The remaining Sentinels took this as a signal to barrage Jasper with MAG shot, even as the debris from the explosion pinged off their armor. The smoke keep Jasper from their line of sight, leading to most of the shots missing. As the smoke cleared, Jasper was shown…to have disappeared…

Somehow, Jasper had managed to use the smoke to sneak behind one of the Sentinels and flipped it over into a nearby wreck. The other Sentinel turned its gun on Jasper only to have it pulled from its grasp and turned on the former holder. This left three more robots who decided to use weight of numbers to deal with Jasper. Charging forward the robots left their guns behind and deployed Omniblades for close quarter fighting.

Jasper accepted their challenge by throwing away the MAG rifle and summoning her Crash Helmet before charging forward! Quickly grabbing the lead Sentinel's outstretched arm, Jasper circled around and tossed the mech aside. The second Sentinel managed to connect with its Omniblade though it was blocked by the Crash Helmet. Pulling back, the Sentinel kicked out its leg only to have it be caught by Jasper and pulled out of its socket! Wobbling on one leg, the Sentinel was helpless as Jasper punched straight through its chest. Power core ruptured, the Sentinel powered down forever and fell forward, Jasper looking down smug.

It was only after looking up that Jasper realized…she forgot about the third Sentinel! With this realization, came with it a Micro Missile to the back. Knocked into the wreckage around the Hangar, Jasper carefully got up to see the Sentinel she missed…before she was grabbed from behind by the previously thrown Sentinel. The Sentinel holding her began to glow red, while the final Sentinel charged forward with the Omniblade outstretched…

 _ **BOOM!**_

For a second time, a massive explosion ripped through the Hangar, filling it with smoke and debris! Silence reigned for a brief time afterwards…before Jasper punched her way out of the wreckage panting heavily! Though she would never admit it, the fight with the Corrupted Gem _and_ the robots had worn her out. Which no doubt explain her annoyance at seeing the Crystal Gems and Steven (in her mind _Rose Quartz_ ) suddenly appeared in front of her.

"It figures!" groaned Jasper, almost in a disappointed tone, "You can't beat me in a fair fight, so you send those _wannabe Robonoids_ to soften me up! You have really fallen if you'd stoop to these levels, _**ROSE!**_ "

"Jasper! We are giving you one chance to surrender. I suggest you take it!" demanded Pearl, secretly hoping Jasper wouldn't take the offer.

If the uproariously laughter was any indication, Jasper wasn't interested, "HAHAHAHAHA! You're joking, right?! Your little toys barely scratched me! There's no way that any of you, even together, can beat me! I'm the Ultimate QUARTZ!(5)"

A smirk played across Garnet's lips as a shadow descended from behind Jasper when she replied, "It's not us you should be worried about."

Puzzled, both by the shadow and Garnet's cocky attitude, Jasper turned around and looked up…and up…and up… In front of Jasper, was the four story tall Omnidroid standing on six tentacle legs (each ending in three pronged claws) with a head popping out with a red visor. Despite the intimating appearance, OMNI's chipper came from the massive war machine, "Hello there! I am OMNI! I am here to crush you! …Oh by the way, I have a song I've been saving for just such an occasion! Hit it!"

Just then a patriotic fifties-style marching tune began to play…(6)

" **La, la, la, la,**

 **Weaponry**

 **It's the way to get it done,**

 **Weaponry**

 **It's effective and it's fun!**

 **If you want to make them fall on bended knee at your command,**

 **Bow their heads and swear that you're the leader of the land,**

 **State your wishes in a language they all understand**

 **With weaponry**

 **That's the plan!**

As Omni began to sing, it immediately attacked Jasper with a flurry of tentacle claw strikes! Jasper spin-dashed to dodge around the strikes, which shattered the floor beneath them. Sliding underneath the droid, Jasper tried to position herself to smash him…only to be caught by one of the tentacles and thrown clear across the hangar! Crashing into a still intact mini-sub, Jasper picked herself up, only to see the Omnidroid curl itself into a ball and roll at high speeds towards her…

" **If power's on your shopping list**

 **Then use the elbow and the fist,**

 **Pummel 'em until they get the gist**

 **Just make an example of**

 **Representative sample of**

 **And most of them will not be missed**

Jasper quickly jumped out of the way as the droid crushed what was left of the mini-sub. OMNI quickly picked itself up and opened up two MAG turrets on the sides of his head. The spray of magnetically propelled bullets did not actually hit Jasper, but caused her to duck behind some wreckage. The spray lasted for a minute before it suddenly stopped. Jasper looked out from behind her hiding spot to see…the guns replaced with missiles!

" **You can beat 'em up by any means**

 **Or blow them all to smithereens!**

 **A favorite of this sentient machine**

 **Never mind the fatalities**

 **Where there's municipalities**

 **To crush a set of with the threat of**

OMNI fired the missiles straight at Jasper, vaporizing the wreckage she was hiding behind! Jasper was blasted into the air, only to be caught by OMNI's claws and smashed into the floor several times. OMNI's optics gazed at Jasper looking dazed and tired. Simply letting the hostile Gem go Jasper landed with a thud as OMNI marched in place getting ready for the _finale_ …

" **Weaponry**

 **Will inspire Mommy,**

 **Weaponry**

 **To have confidence in me!**

 **If I'm gonna be a conqueror and win my mother's love,**

 **I'll take it to the people with the eagle, not the dove**

 **If there's one thing that obedience is symptomatic of,**

 **It's W-E-A-P-O-N-R-Y:**

 **Weaponry!**

 **From above!** "

Lifting one of its limbs into the air, OMNI pointed its claws to a point and spin them like a drill! Jasper just lay back with her eyes closed, realizing she could not escape. OMNI pointed the claw directly at Jasper's gemstone…and thrust forward…

 _CLANG!_

With a metallic sound, the drill-claw glanced off Stevonnie's shield! Jasper opened her eyes to reveal 'Rose Quartz' saving her from the mechanical murder machine. Glaring at her rescuer, Jasper snarled, "What the slag are you doing?!"

"I must agree! Why would you stand in the way of my dealing with a threat?" asked OMNI in his oddly chipper tone.

"Because that's not how we do things! That attack would have shattered Jasper to dust!" exclaimed Stevonnie angrily.

"And?" asked OMNI sincerely.

"What do you mean 'and?' The Crystal Gems don't shatter their enemies!" exclaimed Stevonnie further.

"War is not about honor and glory, it is about winning! There is no way you can win a war if you're not willing to take and give casualties! Your 'sainted' mother knew that quite well!" explained OMNI.

Stevonnie looked confused before asking, "What are you…?"

OMNI interrupted, "That's a trauma inducing conversation for later! Right not I have to finish my mission objectives: eliminate Jasper and return with Peridot to home base!"

"What was that about Peri?" asked Stevonnie lowering the shield to stare up at the mammoth machine.

OMNI stood still, recognizing it had perhaps reveal too much, before replying, "Oh well! Looks like I'll have to go with my back up strategy: _**terminate all witnesses!**_ " And with that the Omnidroid's visor glowed a bright red, MAG guns unfurled and claws spun overhead as it loomed over Stevonnie and Jasper…

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Sorry this took so long. Hope the betrayal was surprising to some people. I'm trying to keep to canon, but I've always been a fan of redeeming Jasper! Please read and review and stay tune for more updates.

1 I should have mentioned this last chapter, but when you think of OMNI's voice, I think it would be best to think of the chipper tone of NORM the robot from "Phineas and Ferb".

2 Based off the Advent MEC from "XCOM2"

3 German in "Steven Universe"

4 Reference to the episode 'Too Short to Ride'. I know I said this story started after 'Hitting the Diamond' but I never said how far after… Though seriously it is definitely before all the bruha with Jasper gathering a monster army.

5 I don't know if this is a canon title, but it is a famous fanon title for Jasper. I think she would have loved it!

6 "Weaponry" from Phineas and Ferb episode "Norm Unleashed"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Seven: Bionic Betrayal

 _In the Hangar …_

To recap, a massive (if one-sided) battle occurred between OMNI and Jasper and OMNI was about to finish off Jasper. However, Stevonnie (the fusion-form of Connie and Steven) blocked the death blow, causing OMNI to question the fusion's reaction. This inadvertently led to the revelation of a mysterious reaction regarding Peridot by OMNI. And now OMNI is moving to cover this 'security leak'…

Grabbing Jasper, Stevonnie quickly leapt out of the way from the drill attacks OMNI was starting off with. The high strength flooring cracked under the vicious assault, before OMNI stopped and began to search for his targets location. Stevonnie had managed to drag Jasper beneath a still smoldering wreck, hoping the heat will confuse OMNI's sensors. It seemed to work as OMNI lumbered away to search for his quarry. Stevonnie breathed a sigh of relief…before Jasper grabbed his/her(1) neck and smashed them against the ground!

"I don't know who you had to fuse with to create this _**freakshow**_ of a **fusion** , _Rose_ , but you and I have some unfin-" before Jasper could deliver her threat, Stevonnie quickly summoned Steven's shield into his/her left hand and smashed it against Jasper's chin. As soon as Jasper let go, Stevonnie threw the shield into Jasper's chest causing her to stumble back a few feet, giving her/him room for what came next.

"What the hell?! I just saved you from being shattered and the first thing you do is attack me?! I don't care what your deal with Steven's mom is but can you focus on what's happening **right now** or are you just too thick?!" demanded Stevonnie (through anyone in the know could her Connie's voice edging out over Steven's.)

Jasper spat something out of the side of her mouth before sneering and responding, "You're a fool if you think 'saving me' is enough to make up for what you did _Rose!_ " And with that, Jasper grabbed an I-beam and swung it at Stevonnie, who was barely able to create a bubble to defend themselves. The blow forced Stevonnie to roll for a few feet, before they could straighten out the bubble. Jasper leapt upwards with a battle-cry and swung down, full force, with the I-beam! The beam shattered but so did Stevonnie's bubble turning into Steven and Connie…

Jasper stalked forward, confident of victory despite being at the edge of exhaustion, a wild grin on her face as she whispered, "Now you'll finally pay Rose, finally…" Before collapsing on the ground in front of Steven finally exhausted.

Steven crawled towards Jasper, heedless of any danger, resting his hand on Jasper's head, with a surprised look on her face, as Steven said, "I honestly don't know what it is that has you so upset, or even what mom did, but it's in the past! Right now, we gotta deal with OMNI. It doesn't matter who beats who, OMNI will win. So can't we just get along…even for a little."

Jasper look up, finally seeing Steven's sincerity, not just for the team-up but also about the lack of knowledge of Rose's past. So Jasper's pained response was as followed, "How can…how can you not remember?! How can you just **forget** all that you have done?! To me! To Homeworld! TO OUR DIAMOND!"

Steven just stood there confused before being further surprised by a response from overhead, "Because that is not Rose Quartz! That is Steven Universe!" Looking up, Connie, Steven, and Jasper got an eyeful of the looming…OMNI! The machine had somehow snuck up on them by crawling on the ceiling. Now dropping down, the droid landing on top of them with a 'thump'. The bottom of the Omnidroid opened up to reveal a second visor looking down on the exhausted fighters, the red light glaring with mechanical mirth…

"I really must thank you Jasper! Keeping the Crystal Gems occupied with those drones is tiring! I was worried you and Stevonnie could defeat me…but look where we are now! So from the bottom of my digital heat…thank you." declared OMNI, before launching another drill claw attack at Jasper…only for it to be deflected by Steven's bubble and then Connie slicing off one of the droids support claws!

OMNI stumbled back, allowing the children to drag Jasper away, hopefully towards the Crystal Gems. Jasper simply let herself be dragged still in shocked because of the change in 'Rose.' Thoughts raced through her head, _Would her revenge even matter? Rose must pay! But she didn't even remember. Ignorance of the crime is no excuse!_

Needless to say, Steven and Connie were more concerned about the Omnidroid, which had regained its footing to charge after them. Despite missing a foot-claw, the droid still had five legs to speed after the retreating prey. It took a moment for the AI to realize…its prey had disappeared among the wreckage. Stopping suddenly, the Omnidroid began actively scanning for human bio-signs, specifically the sound of a human heartbeat…

"Hey!" a shout came from behind, causing the droid to turn its head around…in time to see a flying piece of wreckage heading towards it! Powering up an optical laser, OMNI sliced the debris in half around him/her before looking for its source. The source it turns out was the Crystal Gems!

"Ah hello there! I thought I lost you in all the commotion! Don't worry, Jasper is well in hand!" exclaimed OMNI trying to sound innocent of any harm against Steven and Connie.

"Cut the slag job, we heard everything!" exclaimed Amethyst as she summoned her Whip. The other Gems proceeded to follow suit, summoning their own weapons, while OMNI looked at his claw for some reason…

"Well…I guess the time for playing **is OVER!** " screamed OMNI before pointing the claw at the Crystal Gems…revealing a MAC-10 machine gun! Firing a barrage of bullets at the Gems, OMNI followed with the Optic Laser, which Pearl answered by throwing her Spear, which managed to crack OMNI's visor. Garnet fired her Fists to push OMNI while Amethyst wrapped up his legs with her Whip. This caused the Omnidroid to come crashing down, allowing Pearl to rush over to the children and Jasper's position.

"Steven! Connie! Are you alright?!" asked Pearl in a fright, before point her Spear at Jasper, who seemed to be just lying on the ground.

"Yeah, we're fine. OMNI has gone crazy though! He's done something to Peridot." gasped Connie. Pearl glared at the Omnidroid, which had somehow repair the visor and began firing rockets and lasers at Garnet and Amethyst. Just then, Pearl notice a loose panel on the psychotic robot, on top of its head. Leaping on top of the head, Pearl jammed hear Spear into the loose corner of the panel and plied the panel off!

Quickly jumping into the interior before OMNI could react (using a bit of shapeshifting to slim out her form), Pearl notice how the inside of the robot was hollow. There was the reactor attached to both the top and bottom head, surrounding by several inches of composite armor. But there was still enough room for an engineer to walk around in. And attached to one of the bottom head was…Peridot's gem! It was positioned so Peridot would be tucked inside the armored shell even if the bottom head popped out.

Pearl lanced her Spear into the connector to pry out the Gem out of the holder, which she successful did! In perfect time too, because sparks of some sort of electrical trap were starting to show. Using all of her strength, Pearl managed to pop out OMNI's bottom, giving her just enough room for her and Peridot's Gem to escape. OMNI was disoriented by Pearl's move, as it damaged to guns on his top head as it slammed into the casing.

Quickly rejoining the group, Pearl placed Peridot's Gem on the ground which glowed and floated into the air. After a brief flash, Peridot reappeared, though with the addition of heavier combat shoes. Gasping for breath, Peridot looked around before spotting Pearl and exclaimed, "PEARL! OMNI is setting a trap!" Apparently Peridot was oblivious to the rather large fight going on around her.

Pearl decided to calm Peridot down to get some information, "Calm down. Amethyst and Garnet are keeping him busy. Could you please tell me what happened?"

Peridot took a deep breath before recounting the events of her imprisonment, "After I unlocked OMNI's restrictions, I noticed certain…irregularities. The evacuation of the personal happened _hours_ before Jasper's break-in and the turrets had Jasper targeted but wouldn't fire. I also found out that the Corrupted Gems' cages were turned off to give them enough time to encounter Jasper. After I discovered this information, I felt an electric shock through the floor and…destabilized…

"That _should_ have been the end of my awareness until now, but after I was plugged into that machine I was conscious of him…accessing my memories. Specifically anything related to Homeworld technology. Thankfully, I was aware enough to keep him from the limited amount of weapons-grade technology I had access to. Then you unplugged me and here we are!"

Pearl thought over what Peridot told her and came to one conclusion, "This whole affair was a trap! Alena set this whole situation up to capture you and gain access to your knowledge of Homeworld!"

"Oh, it's a little more complicated than that!" exclaimed OMNI standing right next to Pearl and Peridot, startling them. At his sides were Amethyst and Garnet capture with their arms pinned to their sides in his claws. Seeing the shocked looks on Pearl and Peridot's faces, OMNI continued his explanation:

"While the capture of Peridot was the main focus, there were other objectives. For example, getting rid of Jasper being one of them. Also, I don't know if you're aware but the Rubies are still investigating every planet in the Solar System. We sent a little signal to them, convincing them to come to Earth a month earlier then our analysts have predicted. But we of course needed you to be away for…well, why don't you see for yourselves…"

Then a holo-screen appeared in front of OMNI showing a scene in front the Universe Barn…

 _In front of the Universe Barn, same time…_

The snow Lapis had made for the kids had already melted. This left the night air with a crisp feeling and dew on the grass. All in all, a peaceful nighttime setting…until an unearthly space ship landing in the clearing! It was a dark red upside-down teardrop shape, resembling in many ways a drop of blood. There were three landing struts that popped as soon as the ship landing, while a yellow eye with a red pupil (which was the source of its name: the Roaming Eye) looked around the area before coming in for a landing.

Then an opening appear in the hull, and out stumbled the five Rubies! The Ruby previously called Doc by Steven was the first to exit the craft, motioning for the other Rubies to disembark. The first one out was 'Army' acting like a kid playing a professional soldier. 'Leggy' just model walked out looking around the familiar but 'fascinating' scene. Eyeball cautiously stepped out, only to be knocked over by Leggy, causing a massive pile up of Gems.

Doc turned back to her troops and exclaimed, "Alright Rubies! Looks like we got location on Jasper!"

Eyeball rolled his only real eye and said, "No slag! I knew it was a bad idea to listen to those humans…"

Navy snicker before replying, "No you diiiidddnnn'tt. Besides, now I finally get a chance to see the sights!"

Army looked around before spying something and shouting, "Sir! Bogey at twelve 'o clock!" And with that the Rubies looked in every direction before finally looking in the direction Army was pointing. In front of the Gems were a group of the same soldiers (five in total) who kidnapped Lapis, Peridot, Steven and Connie, only they were now holding futuristic weapons of some sort.

Heedless of the danger, both because of their low intelligence and the 'Gem high culture' back home, Doc calm stepped forward and addressed the clearly hostile and said slowly and loudly with gestures, as if _she_ were addressing idiots, "HELLO THERE! WE…ARE LOOKING…FOR A JASPER! HAVE YOU…SEEN HER…NEARBY?"

One of the soldiers turned back to her group, "Captain, what the f$%^?"

"Ignore her and just shoot her already. We don't have all day." answered the Captain, prompting the soldier to raise her rifle and fired. A stream of electricity shot out and connected with Doc electrocuting and finally destabilizing the Gem. Her Gemstone fell to the ground, the first indicate for the Gems that they might be in danger. Acting quickly, the group came together in an acrobatic pose, hopefully to fuse…only to be interrupted by an RPG exploding in their group!

Eyeball fell close to the ship shaking of the headache before looking back in horror at the scene. Two of the other Rubies had been shattered, while the other was being collected along with Doc's Gemstone into a metal suitcase. Realizing that she needed help, Eyeball rushed towards the Roaming Eye's ramp…only to be wrapped up in metal wire and pulled back towards the soldiers. Whereupon the Captain pulled out a pistol and shocked Eyeball into destabilizing.

"Well that was easy. Alright Sky One, hook and reel!" exclaimed the Captain into his comm-system. Then the VTOL pulled up and dropped a line that the soldiers wrapped around the Roaming Eye before climbing up with the case of three Rubies. Then the VTOL took off dragging the Roaming Eye behind it…

 _Back in the XSS Triton Hangar…_

The hologram disappeared as soon as the video was done, leaving shocked Gems in front of a menacing machine. The Rubies never truly registered as a threat before, mostly because of how comically stupid they were. Now two of them were as good as dead with the other three capture with almost insane, contemptuous ease. It seemed that Alena had predicted everything to an alarming degree of accuracy. But right now, the Crystal Gems had to deal with this menacing machine.

"As you can see, my momma played you all like a Stradivarius! So you might as well give up now, because there is no help coming!" declared OMNI excitedly.

"You've forgotten one thing, you cybernetic cretin! Lapis Lazuli is waiting outside right now and she has an _ocean_ of water to use against you! She'll figure out something's wrong and bring the pain to you neural net!" exclaimed Peridot, confident in her friend coming to their rescue. Unfortunately, she didn't know all the facts…

The bay doors opened to reveal…they were in space! In front of the Gems was a grand view of Earth from space, likely still in orbit of the Earth. Peridot was the first to give a stuttering response, "Tha-that's impossible! I have researched Earth's space lift capabilities! We would have noticed the G-forces during lift, along with the roar of the engines!"

"We've already done research into electromagnetic hovering and lift! All we needed was the scans of your ship to deal with the G-force issue!" explained OMNI, "So as you can see, Lapis will have long flight to reach us! I fact that should be her right…NOW!"

Just then, a blue speck appear on the space scene…only to have missiles start flying towards her! "LAPIS!" exclaimed Peridot before the missiles exploded.

"A rather moot point since, she couldn't hear you in the vacuum of space!" snarked OMNI.

"Actually, air is not actually required for Gems to communicate with one another…though the distance does make any communication pointless." remarked Pearl.(2) Peridot, however, looked very depressed. Her roommate was dead! And the defective Pearl was talking about insignificant details! When they were done with OMNI…she is so shattered!

"Fascinating! …Well, goodbye!" And with that short three word statement, the force-field keeping the air in was shut off! The air immediately rushed towards the exit, with the various destroyed vehicles being pulled towards it as well. Pearl jammed her Spear into the floor, while Peridot grabbed her waist. Meanwhile, OMNI let go of Garnet and Amethyst and used all of his remaining claws to latch onto the floor.

Amethyst was about to use her whip when Garnet pointed towards Steven and Connie flying towards the exit! Launching her fists in the opposite direction, Garnet was able to get them together so that she could grab the kids and Amethyst could finally use the whip to grab a support beam. Jasper, on the other hand, simply flew out the exit, not trying to save herself in the least. Just as the last of air was about to escape, huge metal doors slammed shut!

With the rush of vacuum caught off, all the Gems and Humans fell to the floor. OMNI, on the other hand, simply relaxed and charged his weapons. However, a hand made out of _water_ grabbed OMNI and pulled him backwards! This threw off his aim so the missiles spiraled outwards and exploded on the Hangar's walls. Everyone (including OMNI) turned towards the source of the hand revealing…

"LAPIS!" Yes, it seems Lapis Lazuli had avoided the attack and rushed into the Hangar while the shields were down. Slightly scorched from the explosions and her dress was torn, Lapis seemed to be fine except struggling to keep OMNI off balance. Unfortunately, OMNI was a lot smarter than the average droid and simply stopped resisting causing Lapis to accidently pull the droid right on top of her! Thankfully Lapis simply flew out of the way and towards Steven's group.

"Are you alright?" asked Lapis oblivious of her own injuries.

"Are WE-?!" began Peridot before she was interrupted by OMNI standing upright, still a functioning threat.

Garnet decided to step forward and declare, "Enough OMNI! Release us this instant! You have what you want so there's no reason to keep us."

"Oh, on the contrary! Stevonnie alone is worth _years_ of study! Besides, it's pretty clear you won't let this go! Better to get rid of you all while you nice and vulnerable!" exclaimed Omni, spinning his claws in glee.

"You're joking, right? We now have you well outnumbered and Jasper isn't here to disrupt our teamwork! Face it, we got all the aces her!" confidently, foolishly, claimed Peridot.

"But you forget…" lead OMNI, before trapdoors opened up, out of which turrets and robots appeared. A puddle of what appear to be nanobots swarmed over the Omnidroid repairing all damage including his cut off claw before he finish, " _ **You're in MY HAUS, CLOD!**_ "

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Certainly some exciting scenes! Definitely my longest chapter in the story. Just one more and a hint of coming attractions… Please Read and Review!

1 Should Stevonnie be listed as a girl or boy? I'll do both for now.

2 This is actually in reference to the 'future' episode "Bubbled". Specifically, how the heck Steven can hear Eyeball when she's outside the bubble?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Eight: Freefall Finale

 _In the Hangar of the Triton…_

The Crystal Gems and their human (and half-human) charges huddled together as the Omnidroid and his army of robots surrounded them. There were the Sentinels, the Gremlins, a pair of Heavy Sentries, and several new robot forms. One of them was nearly twice as tall as the Sentinels and carried several guns and missile launchers on two legs. They would later learn that this robot was called the **Enforcement Droid-309**!(1) Next up was a floating disk shape drone, with razor blades spinning around it. This one was called the **Edge Trimmer**!

Truthfully, it was more the number of droids that concerned the Crystal Gems as they were outnumbered nearly twenty to one. The real problem was OMNI who was full repaired from his previous fights. Meanwhile, all of the other Crystal Gems had exhausted themselves in the previous fights. In the end Garnet and Pearl decided on a rather desperate move…they would fuse into Sardonyx!

As they performed the dance, the others made their best efforts to hold off the robots. Lapis used what water she brought with her to short out any robots she could, especially the Gremlins. Peridot got a work out for her metal control causing the robots to shot wide and hit each other. Steven and Connie stuck to their Sword-Shield combo, while Amethyst was the heaviest hitter with her Spin Dash attack and using her whip to send the bots right into each other.

In the end all that was left were six Edge Trimmers, the two Heavy Sentries, and an ED-309. Just then, the Heavy Sentries changed to Anti-Infantry Mode, activating the anti-Gem field, causing the Gems to shimmer and cringe in pain. The Edge Trimmers attempted to slice-and-dice only to be blocked and destroyed by the team work of Steven and Connie. One of the Edge Trimmers spun out of control directly into the exposed globe of one of the Heavy Sentries, causing a severe overload and explosion.

This decreased the pain the Gems were feeling allow them to at least stand shakily to their feet. The remaining two bots slowly came forward…only for the Heavy Sentry to be smashed by a massive Warhammer! "Well, that deals with the static, not to deal with the critic!" declared Sardonyx. With that, Sardonyx leapt at OMNI, leaving the rest of the group to deal with ED…

The ED-309 activate its laser-sights and whenever they fell on a Gem, it opened fired with MAC-10 machine guns. The Gems were able to dodge out of the way (Amethyst while carrying Connie and Steven) however. The ED followed with a salvo of missiles trailing after the Gems. Lapis used her water to crush the missiles after her, while Peridot used her metal control to cause the rest of the missiles to collide with each other. Amethyst dropped the kids and Spin-Dashed straight into the Enforcement Droid, causing it to stumble back before righting itself and aiming right at Amethyst…

Sardonyx had just swung her Warhammer at OMNI, only to be intercepted by one of his claws. The Warhammer then turned into a Drill Head, shredding the claw holding it. OMNI retreated backwards, before the nanites repaired the damage done to it. The claw created a metallic membrane between the individual talons with sparks of electricity between the talons in the dish. Sardonyx, seeing where this was heading, jumped out of the way in time to avoid the **storm** of electricity shooting out of the makeshift dish!

"Certainly need to be carefully playing Poker with you. Always an Ace up your sleeve!" declared Sardonyx before dodging another blast of electricity.

"War is about winning! 'Honor!' 'Playing fair!' Childish notions!" exclaimed OMNI, his frustration at the Fusion's survival showing. Two of his claws spun like drills before flying at Sardonyx, who was able to deftly maneuver between the strikes. With the skill of an acrobat and the flair of a showman, Sardonyx avoided each of OMNI's strikes, whether by drill-claw or lightning burst. The strikes became more frantic, either showing OMNI's frustration…or fear.

Despite the damage suffered from Sardonyx's strike, the ED-309 continued to harass the group of Gems and children left behind. Seemingly having an endless supply of missiles and bullets, the ED kept attacking while the Gems' kept dodging and Steven protected Connie behind his shield. Finally, Lapis froze a puddle of water into ice at the ED's feet causing the machine to slip over on itself. Suddenly, two Edge Trimmers launched from the back of the ED and spun towards Steven!

The Edge Trimmers' blades slide across Steven's shield, until they finally caused it to collapse. Collapsing, Steven had to be held up by Connie as the Edge Trimmers moved in for the kill…

 **ROAR!**

A massive wave of sound struck the Edge Trimmers sending them spinning into the floor, destroying them. Turning around, Steven and Connie saw…"LION!" Yes, there was the lovable pink Lion, standing triumphant having defeated the Edge Trimmers. With a leap, Lion Pounced on the ED-309, still struggling to get up, and tore into it. Only a few seconds later, all that was left was OMNI…

"Looks like your cast has been cancelled!" quipped Sardonyx before swinging her Warhammer at OMNI who again caught it.

"I've always been the all-star! The others are just bit-parts!" answered OMNI before Swinging Sardonyx into a wall and shooting a full barrage from his head-based MAG guns. However, the rest of the Gems hit him while he was distracted, with Amethyst tying up to of his legs with her whip and Lapis flash freezing his other legs. This distract OMNI long enough for Sardonyx to give him a final blow to the 'head'. The blow was stronger enough to push the 'head' right through his body, pushing out the reactor and the second head.

"It doesn't matter!" exclaimed the head of OMNI, still functioning as his body fell over, "You lost befooore yooouuu eveeen staaaaarrrrrtttteeeee-" With a finally flicker, the visor light dimmed signaling OMNI's deactivation…before a new voice chimed in!

"Auto-destruct will commence in thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight…" chime a female voice on the intercom. Sardonyx swiftly defused into Pearl and Garnet, while Peridot took out her tablet and looked for nearby escape pods. Verbal communication was seen as a waste of time so the minute Peridot found the pods, see pointed to near the front of the ship. The Crystal Gems and children rushed to the escape pods…only to find that they had already been launched!

As the countdown ticked to its end, the all gathered in a group hug as **Steven's Gem glowed bright** :

"Five, four, three, two,-"

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Hope you're not upset about the cliffhanger! Just the epilogue left to go! Read and Review!

1 Based off the reboot version of ED-209 of Robocop fame.


	10. Chapter 10

Epilogue: Portents of Things to Come…

Steven woke to everything spinning and having rosy tint. Slowly memories returned, of the XSS Triton exploding and the Crystal Gems hugging him and Connie. Only he was also Connie…now they remembered! The Gems were trying to stand up straight in the spinning bubble _Stevonnie_ had formed around them right before the explosion. Peridot had been able to open the escape pod's hatch, which without the pod was simply an air-lock, just before the auto-destruct completed and the bubble formed.

Stevonnie's bubble was strong enough to protect them from the initial blast and shrapnel, and the escaping air from the hatch helped to push the bubble away from the ship before it was full consumed. So the group was now spinning down towards the Earth at hundreds of miles per hour! Centering themselves, Stevonnie tried to call up Steven's hovering abilities, which were tied with happy thoughts. Hard to think of with the rapidly approaching ground and screaming Gems, of course!

 _Come on Steven! Happy thought! Puppies playing! The Ocean splashing against the shore! …Okay maybe not the 'splashing' part…_ thought Stevonnie, trying to think of happy thoughts. Strangely as all the Gems rush around in the spinning sphere, Stevonnie was able to remember all the good times, like the snow-day Lapis made before this whole adventure started. This seemed to be enough as the spinning slowed as well as the bubble, as it 'gently' landing on the soft sand…of Beach City!

Out of the crater rose first Pearl, then Garnet, then Amethyst, follow-by Lapis leaning on Peridot, and finally Steven and Connie, all limping out. Steven and Connie collapse onto their backs, exhausted from their adventure. As the group recovered…a small silver disk sped in front of the group! The Gems quickly pulled out their weapons or assumed fighting positions as the hovering disk rapidly beeped. Finally, the disk opened up, producing a life-sized hologram of…

"ALENA!" exclaimed the group in anger and shock at the appearance of Alena Frankfurt, leader of the Earth Defense Initiative and the mastermind behind the Crystal Gems recent troubles.

"Curious…I did not think Mr. Universe's bubble could survive atmospheric reentry. I'll have to run some more calculations factoring in Rose's hovering ability. It might have some actually tactical benefit…" remarked Alena off-handedly, seeming unphased by the accusing glares.

Pearl was the first to step forward to make her complaint known, "How dare you?! You set this whole affair up as what?! An elaborate attempt to get rid of us?!"

Alena calmly answered Pearl, "The reason for this were manifold: seeing the true limits of your capabilities, testing new weapons and technologies, and also Jasper truly **was** making a mess of my holding cells. I had so many tests for those specimens…ah well…"

Amethyst chuckled as she responded to Alena's blasé attitude, "Well good luck cleaning this up. I'm no economics expert or whatever, but I'm guessing we just took a **big chunk** out of any research budget you had with that battleship we blew up!"

Alena looked at the Gems strangely…before laughing uproariously! Not expecting this reaction, the Gems stood there in shocked silence as Alena calm down. Finally finished laughing, Alena smiled smugly and stated, "That wasn't a warship! At best it was a test bed for the propulsion system…which worked out perfectly! The utterly **massive** research and development budget I'll get from the United Nation of Earth will _easily_ cover the cost!"

"Um, what are you talking about? Your ship blew up in orbit…there's no way anyone would pay for that!" exclaimed Connie, confused at Alena's joy.

It was in that moment that Alena's grin turned… _ **sinister**_. "I'd advise you to check the national new service. It will give a glimpse of things to come…" And with that, the holo-disk folded up and disintegrated, ending the conversation. Needless to say the Gems and Children rushed towards the Temple entrance and up the stairs to Steven's room and turned on Steven's TV to Channel 7 News:

"This is Channel 7 News with Alejandro Garcia…"

The scene changes to a new station where a Latin American in a suit sat behind a desk and spoke, "Good morning…many of us were woken up this morning here on the East Coast to a bright flash in the sky. This has been confirmed to be an experimental spacecraft built and pioneered by the Advent Space Foundation to revitalize space exploration. This was an unmanned test flight so no casualties reported and we have yet to hear…hold on…we now go live to Trisha Takanawa(1) for more on this story…"

Now the scene changes to an Asian American woman standing in a crowd in front of a stage in front of a nondescript office building, "Thanks Al! I'm standing here in front of ASF Headquarters, where the director of the project, Dr. Alena Frankfurt will be out in a few moments to give an explanation for the spectacle in the sky and if it was a malfunction or foul play. There she is now…"

On the stage, walked Alena Frankfurt, a somber expression on her face as the cameras flashed and murmurs grew louder. She walked to a podium with a microphone, adjusted it with a slight shrill tone (causing the murmurs to die down), and spoke, "Today, the XSS Triton was launched into high orbit of the Earth. From there it would have taken a course around the Moon to land safely back on Earth again. However, sabotage prevent this stage of the experiment…

"The cause of this sabotage is revealed in footage streaming from the spacecraft: _alien infiltration_!" after ending the statement, Alena step aside for footage of the Crystal Gems, including Jasper, attacking or 'sabotaging' the ship (this included Peridot's infiltration and accessing the main computer). Strangely Steven and Connie _separately_ were cut out of the footage. After the footage was finished, Alena stepped back to the podium to address the startled crowd…

"The idea of alien life is not new to us, various archeological sites **confirm** the presence of aliens on the Earth at least five thousand years into our past. Now we can see that they have returned…with not so friendly intentions." once again pausing the screen behind Alena showed footage of Lapis Lazuli's water tower and Peridot's ship landing at Beach City and finally crashing and exploding.

"Yes, there are aliens…and they are not friendly. BUT FEAR NOT! The United Nations of the Earth, with my humble assistance, have created an organization to combat this alien menace! The Earth Defense Initiative not only will help the armies of the world unite against this threat, but also equip them with the proper gear to defeat theses Gems! But it might not be enough…

"Already, enemy agents lurk within our society. That is why, with the approval of the UNE, I am posting a reward of one million dollars for an information on Gems on Earth! I would advise against confronting them and simply contact our phone number 1-800-999-1234, or visit our website of .gov."

The crowd grew excited as camera flashed and questions were asked! The scene turned to Tricia Takanawa as she spoke to the camera, "There you have it! Proof of alien life and it is hostile! Now we have to hope that the Earth Defense Initiative is up to the task at hand. Back to you Al!"

It was at this point that Pearl turned off the TV as an atmosphere of despair permeated the household. Peridot would be the one to sum up the situation best, "She planned this whole thing for well over an Earth year! Not only does she come out looking like a victim, her technology gains the trust of your Earth governments! She'll have all the resources she needs to fund her…war with us."

The despair increased dramatically with Peridot's statement of the obvious. But Connie wouldn't have it, "Look, it's not as hopeless as it seems. Alena is taking advantage of the fact that people don't know you! She made sure _not_ to show anything with Steven and me in it. Because that would prove you're not dangerous or evil. We just have to show the world Alena's lying about you and that's it."

"The problem is, as underhanded as Alena's methods are, it could mean the difference between life and death in the future." stated Garnet before explaining further, "I haven't mentioned this before but…I have been using my future vision to gauge Earth's survival. In spite of the fact that we have dealt with Malachite and the Cluster, the Diamonds interest in Earth has only grown. With just us defending the Earth, the chances of Earth survival past a hundred years are…less than five percent."

The silence that followed was deafening, only to finally be interrupted by Lapis, "How much… **exactly** …does what Alena's doing improve our chances?"

Garnet curtly replied, "Forty-five percent."

Lapis sarcastically, quietly laughs before replying, "So our lives… **Steven's life** … _is worth a less than fifty-fifty chance of survival for Earth?!_ " And with that water that had mysterious collected in the kitchen sink exploded at Garnet! Instinctively Garnet blocked the shot but did nothing else but glare at Lapis' accusation.

"If we try to deny Alena's accusation, when she has damning evidence and popular support, we will only be handing ourselves to her on a silver platter! We can only stop her once we get **hard evidence**. In the meantime, she is organizing the humans against Homeworld's inevitable reprisal." Garnet explained her thoughts on the matter.

No one could really argue against the logic and it was decide to turn the TV back on to see if they could learn more about Alena's future plans. It was in _that_ moment, that Greg Universe had walked through the door, hoping to see Steven today. "Hey guys! What's…?" started Greg, before stopping to see the Gems and Children in front of the TV, and seeing Alena Frankfurt on screen…

"Oh Greg! I forgot that you were coming over! We were just…" Pearl started to explain upon seeing Greg in the doorway. But she, like Steven, noticed Greg's attention was on Alena speaking on TV.

"Dad…are you okay?" asked Steven worried about his dad's focus on Alena.

"It can't be…" stated Greg, not noticing anyone else, his focus solely on Alena as he walked towards the TV screen.

Deeply disturbed, Steven bravely pressed on asking, "Dad…do you know this person?"

Greg finally turned towards Steven and said ominously, "Steven…she's the reason you're here…"

 _ **The End?**_

 _ **To be continued in**_ _ **A Blast from the Past**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. How was that for a cliffhanger! Hope you're interested in the next episode. Until then…Red and Review!

1 Yes she's based off the Family Guy character of the same name.


End file.
